Toyota Starlet could resurface as a new Gazoo Racing sports car.

Toyota GR plans to resurrect the Starlet as an affordable sports car

The sports division of Toyota, GR, has plans to bring another successful model back, to join the GR Supra and GR Corolla, in addition to the small GR Yaris. This is the Starlet, a compact hatch manufactured between 1973 and 1999, but without access to the Brazilian market, for example.

Triumphal return of the Starlet as an entry model

According to a report from the Japanese website Best Car, the Starlet will return to the local market as a sports car in the GR line, but as an entry-level model. So, remembering its sporty versions, it will have front-wheel drive, and will be made to be affordable. So, taking the GR 86 position as an entry into the brand, for example.

Development and launch of the new model

Therefore, there is a possibility that Toyota has already started developing the project, using Daihatsu's new global architecture (DNGA), for example. However, given the recent scandals related to the platform, its launch was postponed to 2026.

However, even according to the Best Car, Toyota GR's intention is to make the Starlet a competitor in the Rally 4 category, alongside rivals such as the Renault Clio, Peugeot 208 and Ford Fiesta. With this, naturally, there will be a street version, initially aimed at the Japanese market, created for homologation purposes for competition. However, the model must be larger than the “civilian” production unit, by 170 mm.

Specifications of the new GR Starlet

This means widened wheel arches, a wider track and aggressive front and rear bumpers, bringing DNA borrowed from models like the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, for example. Japanese sources claim that the Starlet's weight is close to 980 kg, making it a “featherweight” competitor, weighing 300 kg less than the GR Yaris, for example.

Finally, the new GR Starlet can use the 1.6 three-cylinder, aspirated engine, or even the 1.5 Dynamic Force, also three-cylinder, this one with 150 hp. However, as it is an entry-level version, lower power is also possible, around 120 hp. Either way, we'll wait.

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