Tuesday 23rd June 2009

Toyota Hits The High Notes At FoS

Japanese car maker shows its class with spectacular Goodwood line-up

---

It’s sometimes easy to forget the impact Toyota has made on global motorsport over the years, but not if you’re a regular at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Toyota has turned out in force at the FoS for some years now, and an array of interesting motorsport metal is being wheeled out once again in 2009.

Timo Glock will pilot the TF108

F1 star Timo Glock is topping the bill for Toyota this year, driving the 2008 TF108 grand prix car up the tricky (for an F1 car!) hill course, while Gazoo Racing’s V10-powered LF-A will also be seen in action for the first time in the UK.

Look out also for the spectacular 700bhp Fensport 4WD Celica GT4-X which competes in the Toyota Sprint Series, as well as the 3.0-litere V6-powered, carbon-bodied Auris ice racer that former F1 world champion Alain Prost has driven to back-to-back Andros Trophy championships.

Meanwhile, the festival rally stage will echo to the roar of some of Toyota’s most celebrated and successful machinery, including the Group B Celica Twin-cam Turbo, Celica ST185, Celica GT4 ST205 and Toyota’s ultimate championship machine, the WRC Corolla.

FoS debut for Gazoo Racing LF-A

On its static display, cars like the Can-AM V8 Toyota 7, and the 2^nd-placed TS010 Le Mans car will join wackier machines like the mid-engined Aygo Crazy ‘concept’.

While we salute Toyota’s commitment to helping make the Festival of Speed such a great event, we admit to being a little bemused by one exhibit the car maker has promised to display. There’s apparently going to be a glass artwork by Japanese artist Sou Fujimoto – inspired by Lexus’s L-finesse design principles and named ‘Crystallised Wind’. Perhaps we’ll pass on that one!

Celica on Safari in 1993	The 700bhp Fensport Celica
Alain's mighty Auris ice racer	The TS010 Le Mans campaigner
The mid-engined Aygo Crazy	Group B Celica TC

 

[Turbobanana]

Celica in front of Kilimanjaro as pic of the week, please!

[KAZUNGU]

Couldn't agree more!! Brought back some very special memories as i was there that year.

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Turbobanana said:

Celica in front of Kilimanjaro as pic of the week, please!

I can just imagine those natives saying;

"That was a strange looking goat!"

[dublet]

Turbobanana said:

Celica in front of Kilimanjaro as pic of the week, please!

+1

[Stevesh]

It's such a shame that none of their current road cars reflect on any of this motorsport heritage

Steve

[Dagnut]

^^^

Yup all we need now is a decent road car.

[Mc lovin]

This is really not helping, i really, really want to go

[GravelBen]

Just need one of Rod Millen's hillclimb weapons there again to round out the team!

[Paul 8v]

dublet said:

Turbobanana said:

Celica in front of Kilimanjaro as pic of the week, please!

+1

+2

[Turbobanana]

KAZUNGU said:

Couldn't agree more!! Brought back some very special memories as i was there that year.

I've been to Kenya a couple of times, and this pic got me thinking.

Not a plug, but have a look at my website www.pyrmontphotography.com and see how little snow there is on top now (well, 2004).

[Clem64]

Design and build another MR2 MK2, the MK3 lacked a little something ....... oh and this time stick the turbo on for us Brits

[anonymous-user]

Holy crap that Celica picture is eerie when you consider this flew by a few years earlier



The colour one (which I've gone and lost) looks identical!

[bobberz]

Yeah, definitely need that Celica jump pic as POTW, epic in front of Kilimanjaro!

[chunkymonkey71]

Simps said:

Holy crap that Celica picture is eerie when you consider this flew by a few years earlier



The colour one (which I've gone and lost) looks identical!

Those two guys must have been hardcore rally fans!!!

[HAB]

Another vote for the Celica picture of the week.

[FOURRONE]

Lets also see the Ivan Stuart stadium/baja Hilux racers they were mean machines in the nineties

[CelicaGT]

I'm jump on the POTW bandwagon as well, maybe you can guess why.

It's too bad Toyota has nothing exciting in its line-up anymore. On another note, sheesh I hope someone can catch some good video of the Toyota 7 Can-Am racer, that car is mental!

[forzaminardi]

It's kind of surprising that Toyota have all that great machinery and heritage in the background - if only they could make even a vaguely interesting car for the road nowadays!

[Lord Pikey]

I only came on here to ask for the Celica to be a wallpaper but it seems i am not the only one who wants it.

so, for the first time ever i am going to type.

+1