- New spy video shows Toyota’s mystery sports car testing at Fuji Speedway.
- Rumored to be reviving the Celica, the coupe is expected to feature a mid-engine layout.
- A production version could generate around 400 horsepower, with a hotter 600-hp version and a WRC race car reportedly in the works.
Toyota has some very exciting vehicles in the works. One of the most exciting is a rumored mid-engined, all-wheel-drive sports car, and this new video may give us our first real look at it in operation.
Posted on x (formerly Twitter) By user @You_SuiKoyoAZ, the clip shows a prototype we haven’t seen crossing Fuji Speedway. The clip is only a few seconds long, but you can clearly hear the sound of the car exploding around the bend. The shift pattern also hints that it may have a manual transmission. To keep an eye:
Compared to the mysterious prototype seen testing on rally stages a few months ago, it looks a lot closer to the real thing. It’s clearly a two-door coupe, with thin, slanted headlights, a large hood vent, and taillights that look completely out of Toyota’s current design playbook.
It’s still hard to tell where the engine is based on the footage alone. But if we had to guess, it could be the long-rumored mid-engined sports car that is expected to revive the Celica name (or, as some are reporting, the MR2).
Rumors suggest that the car will use Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, sending power to all four wheels under the GR banner. It may also not have a Toyota badge, with the automaker looking to position Gazoo Racing as a standalone performance brand.
The road-going version is expected to make around 400 horsepower, while an even hotter version with a larger turbocharger could push that figure closer to 600 hp. There are also rumors of some level of electrification.
If this is the same prototype previously seen on rally stages, we could be seeing the debut of a WRC-spec version before the production car. If everything remains on schedule, this could happen by 2027.
Motor1’s Opinion: If this is the long-rumored return of the Toyota Celica, we’ll be intrigued. It looks and sounds like an impressive little sports car.
