Williams F1 Academy driver Lia Block has unveiled her new project car in a video shared on the Block House Racing YouTube channel.
While the 19-year-old driver is currently competing in her second year of the all-female single-seater racing series, she comes from a background in rallying. She has previously competed in the American Rally Association, Extreme E, Nitrocross and the ARA East Championship.
At just 16, the American driver became the youngest champion in the 2023 American Rally Association season in the Open Two-Wheel-Drive class.
So, it is no surprise that Block has acquired a new rally-inspired project car, the Toyota GR Corolla.
"Today is a very exciting day. In a few minutes, I get to go pick up my brand new project car. And don't worry, I still have my Quattro from when I turned 16. But it's the start of a new chapter. I love that car and I will be keeping it forever. But as you guys know, old cars do old car things and I need something a little bit more reliable now that winter's coming," Block said to the camera.
"Maybe with some heated seats, a back-up camera, and some CarPlay. Maybe something I can throw around and have a little fun in. So, of course, I picked the most sensible car, a Toyota Corolla. But it's not just any Corolla. So, let's go to Salt Lake and check it out."
After picking up the 1.6-litre turbocharged GR Corolla, and of course making the most of the gravel track to her home, the Williams Driver Academy driver added: "So, made it home. Brand new car. She's a little dirty now, but super exciting. I went through all the modes, all the buttons. I mean, the difference between like sport mode and eco mode. There's a big power difference and good power difference.
"It's spicy, to be honest. And it feels nice. It's super stable on the road and even on the dirt. It handles like my rally car basically. That's exactly why we got a car like this 2025 GR Corolla. 300 horsepower 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive, six-speed manual. Like, what else could you ask for?
"It reminds me of driving a rally car. It's stock, but it's a base of what the rally cars in the WRC today are. I mean, Toyota has such a rich history in rally and motorsports in general, and they kind of took all of that inspiration and put it into one car.
"When I look at this car, it looks mean. And under the hood, it's mean as well. So, it's so cool to see the recurrence of this base model type of rally car that has a tough transmission and gearbox and can really put that power down on the four wheels. So, it's super exciting to see that come back.
"So, obviously, this is a new car, but I did say project, so that means a lot of new parts, and basically it won't look like this when we're done. Even before I saw the car, we started ordering parts. So, I'm really excited to open everything up and start putting things on it.
"Actually, I haven't worked or mechanicked on a car since my Quattro build when I was 16. So, it's going to be a learning curve, a journey. It's going to be really awesome. I'm just super excited to get started."
Block is set to share the build on the Block House Racing YouTube channel over a four-part series and the final product will be on display at the SEMA Show, which is set for 4-7 November 2025.
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