Images and videos of what appears to be Toyota’s all-new 2027 World Rally Championship car have emerged on social media.
Toyota is the only mainstream automotive manufacturer that is known to be developing a new car that adheres to the WRC’s new technical regulations that will come into force from 2027.
The images, that are said to have been captured during a test in Portugal, feature a car in a camouflage livery that is a vastly different shape compared to the brand's current GR Yaris Rally1. The Yaris has been utilised as Toyota’s WRC challenger since the marque rejoined the championship in 2017.
The car also looks significantly different to the new Toyota GR Corolla rally car that has recently been homologated for competition in American Rally Association (ARA) National Championship this year.
It is known that Toyota has been planning to release a new Celica road car in the near future that could in theory form the base for a future WRC car. If this is the case it would see the Celica name revived in rallying that was a prominent force in the 1980s and 1990s, winning constructors’ championships in 1993 and 1994 donning the famous Castrol colours.
Outside of Toyota, Project Rally One is the only other constructor known to be developing a car for the new 2027 WRC technical rules. The Belgian operation is the first tuner to commit to the new regulations and is founded by experienced motorsport engineer Lionel Hansen, former FIA rally director and Citroen WRC boss Yves Matton, and the Prospeed team.
The new WRC technical regulations will span a 10-year period and are designed to be more affordable and flexible in a bid to attract not only manufacturers but tuners to the series.
Cars will be built to a €345,000 cost cap, deliver approximately 300 horsepower, comprise a space frame chassis and utilise some Rally2 componentry. The regulations will begin allowing only internal combustion engines, but there are plans to open up the technology on powertrains in the future.
