- The Toyota GR86 Rally Legacy is the automaker's latest concept for this week's SEMA show in Las Vegas.
- The concept features the 300-hp turbo three-cylinder and trick all-wheel-drive system from the GR Corolla.
- The Rally Legacy also has a custom suspension, a Celica GT-Four-inspired livery, and a race-ready interior.
Toyota is on a hot streak as it continues to roll out concept cars for this week's SEMA show in Las Vegas. After revealing the 4Runner TRD Surf and the Land Cruiser ROX, it's time for something different. The GR86 Rally Legacy concept emulates Toyota's iconic Celica GT-Four rally cars from the 1990s with a throwback livery and puts Toyota's current performance arsenal on display by borrowing the powertrain from the GR Corolla.
The concept is based on the 2024 GR86 but takes the agile sports car and prepares it for a life away from the pavement. Toyota started by completely swapping out the powertrain, ditching the naturally aspirated 228-hp 2.4-liter flat-four and rear-wheel-drive setup for the turbocharged three-cylinder and all-wheel-drive system from the GR Corolla hatchback.
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The 1.6-liter engine was treated to a host of modifications, gaining a performance intercooler, an oil cooler, and a race-spec ECU for improved fuel delivery, spark timing, and boost control. The GR86 Rally Legacy matches the numbers of a stock 2024 GR Corolla with 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, but Toyota says it could be tuned to make even more oomph. Toyota didn't provide any details on the transmission, but the photos appear to show a sequential racing gearbox.
To make the swap work, Toyota had to modify the chassis to fit the taller, transverse-mounted G16E-GTS inline-three, which required a custom subframe and engine mounts. The implementation of all-wheel drive also necessitated bringing over the GR Corolla's hubs, spindles, and axles. Toyota also built custom control arms and coil-over dampers for the GR86 Rally Legacy. The steering rack was reworked too, while the GR86 rear end was replaced with the GR Corolla's differential and rear axles. Effectively, the Rally Legacy concept is a GR86 body draped over a GR Corolla powertrain.
The GR86 Rally Legacy looks the part thanks to a Halo White paint job and a red-and-green livery that recalls the Castrol-sponsored look of the Celica GT-Four rally car. Toyota also added red mud flaps and a custom exhaust that exits where the license plate would normally live. The concept also sports a spoiler with a similar curvature to the one found on the Celica rally car as well as a set of rally lights up front. Inside, the concept features a full roll cage and racing seats with red six-point harnesses.
The GR86 Rally Legacy won't reach production in this form, but perhaps Toyota is testing the waters for a more powerful version of the GR86 coupe featuring the turbocharged three-cylinder and all-wheel drive. While this setup is undoubtedly awesome, and the GR86 could always use a few more ponies, we would certainly miss the GR86's playful rear-wheel-drive dynamics.
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
