Gazoo Racing Has A Big Surprise for Toyota GR86 Fans

It seems Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division got tired of seeing GR86-based concepts from renowned Japanese tuners and decided to give them a “middle finger”, so to speak. If, to you, the standard GR86 looks a bit too innocent, then what we see here will probably change your mind.

It seems Gazoo Racing hasn’t left a single body panel untouched. This certainly doesn’t look like a mildly-mannered compact sports car anymore. After Gazoo Racing’s treatment, the GR6’s front fascia looks mutated (in a good way). The front mouth is bigger and more vicious, now integrating multiple air inlets that channel air to different sections of the front. That same frontal air dam is flanked by two air intakes with additional aero bits over them.

The front hood and fenders also have additional air extractors carved into them, while the new bigger wheels and more aggressive side skirts nicely transition towards the rear of the car.

There, we see a bigger rear diffuser and, of course, a big rear wing mounted almost at roof height. We also notice that the small aerodynamic elements that normally sit at the back of the rear wheel arches are absent. In the standard car, they are meant to improve airflow, but with the Gazoo Racing body kit and that big rear wing, they are no longer needed.

That said, if the Gazoo Racing treatment seems a bit too radical for you, there is a second version of the GR86, which looks a lot more subtle in comparison. The tall rear wing is replaced by an integrated ducktail, while the body kit is a nice compromise between the more radical design and the standard car. There are also fewer vents, compared to the first design.

It’s not like Toyota hasn’t done sportier versions of the Toyota 86. There was the GT86 TS, as well as the GT86 Hakone edition, both of which were based on the first generation of the compact coupe. However, what we see here will most likely be optional packages, similar to the TRD body kit, offered on the Toyota 86. In any case, we still secretly hope Gazoo Racing will give us something along the lines of what we see here, in the form of a standalone model. We also expect some performance upgrades to accompany the radical body kit.