Toyota has something special coming, perhaps even more special than the GR GT supercar already revealed late last year. The brand has openly discussed development of something mid-engined since it first revealed a GR Yaris development mule with a power-dense four-cylinder in the back over a year ago. Thanks to a quick-thinking trackside photographer, we may finally have a look at what the final mid-engined Toyota could be.
A photographer caught the car trackside at the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, in the same corner where a GR GT3 was seen testing two full years before its reveal. The photos show off a car with the basic shape of an MR2, although the compact platform could theoretically be holding an engine either in front of or behind the driver. Wide rear fenders, a fixed window, and a swan neck-mounted rear wing could indicate that this is a racing prototype rather than a prototype of a road car.
A few elements on the car notably seemed to be carried over from existing cars, including headlights and tail lights that could be straight off a GR Yaris. The wheels are instantly recognizable as either Volk TE-37s or a similar-looking option from another manufacturer. The A-pillar seems to match the shape of the Lexus LC, too, indicating that this might be a purpose-built testing car put together with components that Toyota already had on hand.
Trackside video of the car suggests it could be powered by a smaller turbocharged engine. That would make sense for a car testing the brand’s new four-cylinder, but it could also be running a modified variant of the three-cylinder found in the current GR Yaris and GR Corolla.
This spotting is just the latest in a long string of developments hinting at an inevitable return for the MR2, or at least a Toyota sports car more in the spirit of the MR2 than anything the brand currently offers. Back in January, Toyota teased its long-awaited return to the world of mid-engined sports cars before revealing a custom Kei truck. That false start was followed by confirmation from an executive later in January that the brand is developing a mid-engined model, but buyers hoping to get a new midship sports car from Toyota should not get too excited just yet — that same confirmation came with word that development could take up to five years.
