Any manufacturer's claim that its road cars have been directly influenced by motorsport is likely to be spurious at best. Not Toyota, though; when it says racing improves the breed, it really means it. After all, which other OEM would offer an aero kit for a supermini that includes a new fuel tank cover to improve airflow? Toyota found that a flat-bottomed fuel tank worked well in the Super Taikyu Series Yaris, so it’s been replicated for this Aero Performance Package. Because that’s the Toyota way.
The whole six-part upgrade, predictably enough, is rooted in similarly detailed gains. As well as Super Taikyu, Toyota has incorporated learnings from the Japanese Rally Championship; participation in both has ‘enabled the identification and addressing of issues one by one in a shared pursuit of the ideal with professional race drivers.’ Probably the most obvious change is the adjustable rear wing that looks straight out of the GT7 Tuning Shop; it’s said to improve stability at high speed (easily done with 280hp) and ‘suppresses snake-like movement during braking’. Plus it looks cool with its GR-FOUR branding. Just don’t forget your Allen keys at the track day.
Also at the back are bumper ducts; these have been introduced to the Aero Performance Package as Toyota experienced a rear bumper fully detaching in Super Taikyu because of the aerodynamic loads. So the vents actually decrease the drag coefficient and reduce something called the parachute effect, which is where the back bumper traps the wind that comes through from the front one.
Speaking of the front of the Yaris, the new aero kit brings a ducted aluminium bonnet. This exact design was used in the JRC cars, worked well at extracting heat from the turbo triple, so now it’s here. The vents in the wings aren’t just for show, either (as if they ever would be on a GR Yaris), as they set air free from the front arches. Toyota reckons this ‘improves the steering feel during nose dives and handling stability when entering corners.’
Apparently that was going to be that for the Aero Performance Package, but one of the racing drivers wasn’t happy with the balance. So the smart new front spoiler was introduced to reduce lift and ‘enhance front ground contact’. Can’t hurt, either, that it balances out the dramatic rear spoiler quite well in addition.
Toyota will offer the Aero Performance Package with both the manual and DCT in Japan. Two specs as well, either RC or RZ. So the most affordable way into an aero car will be a manual RC, at 4,055,000 yen (or just £20k right now, sickeningly enough), rising to 5,825,000 yen for the auto RZ. Or £29,000. Hard to see how they won’t be popular at that sort of money. And fingers crossed, then, for something similar over here. But all hope is not lost for those in the UK after a bespoilered GR Yaris for £29,000 - this Gen1 car has a Toyota Racing Development bodykit, plus half cage…
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