Toyota WRC27 coupe prototype tested – no longer GR Yaris base; upcoming GR Celica sighted? – paultan.org

The first images of Toyota’s entry into the World Rally Championship for 2027 have emerged, with 2026 being the final year of the current technical regulations for Rally1 before it is replaced by the next evolution of the series coming into effect next year, called Rally1 WRC27.

As depicted in a now-deleted Facebook post, the prototype rally car with the camouflage is not of the GR Yaris hatchback form that Toyota has campaigned in the WRC so far, but is instead a fairly compact coupe. According to DirtfishToyota has confirmed that a new WRC racer is currently being tested.

The shape of the two-door coupe hints at what is probably one of the Japanese giant’s worst kept secrets; that the Celica nameplate is coming back. If Toyota’s 2027 Rally1 entry is indeed to be based on the upcoming Celica, this would be an early look at the model, albeit under camouflage and rally car bodywork.

“Right now we’re already driving our prototype test car. The design team is focusing on all the feedback coming from that car and working to work around issues and make improvements. The original goal was to start driving the car in 2026 and we’ve achieved that goal. The car has already completed a few tests and has covered more than 2,000 km,” said Tom Fowler, technical director of the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team.

The upcoming WRC27 regulations will require participating teams to use a spaceframe chassis built to FIA blueprints, as is the case with the current Rally1 regulations, albeit with a powertrain adapted to current Rally2 cars and consisting of a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with a 32mm intake restrictor for a peak power of around 290bhp. The transmission will consist of a five-speed sequential manual gearbox, without steering column-mounted paddle shifters, sending drive to all four wheels.

To that end, Toyota’s upcoming WRC27 competition car will likely be powered by the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris Rally2 rally car, as evidenced by audio from the since-deleted footage, while the current Rally1 car will be powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine from the previous generation Toyota Yaris WRC.

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