LIFESTYLE
At Toyota, we have a mission to build “ever-better” cars. Cars of tomorrow, made for the road, by the people who know them best. This is the philosophy that continues to drive the man behind the wheel and the future of mobility.
But to understand where we’re going, we first need to turn back time and pay homage to a more humble beginning.
We can trace the infamous lineage of GR Corolla back to 1963, when Toyota legend Hiromu Naruse first joined the company. Naruse immersed himself in the world of motorsport, first as a mechanic, before fine-tuning Toyota vehicles as our chief test driver.
Now, the fate of the GR Corolla rests in the skilled hands of former President Akio Toyoda, grandson of Toyota Motor Corp. founder Kiichiro Toyoda, who was famously trained by his predecessor, Naruse.
Together, along with fellow test drivers, Naruse and Toyoda launched “Gazoo Racing” in 2007 and competed in Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race – the most challenging amateur race in motorsports history.
For them, it wasn’t about winning. The race was an opportunity to learn more about people and cars and how to overcome any challenge.
One challenge in particular was managing the negative comments around having a CEO fueled by a dangerous passion. To battle criticism, Akio publicly took on the moniker, Morizo, to race in Nürburgring. From here, a new legend was born.
Now, not so much of a secret, he has earned his title as master driver, sworn to make “ever-better cars” through his love of motorsports.
Today, Akio continues to fearlessly test Toyota vehicles out on the field. So, it’s no exaggeration to say that the All-New GR Corolla has been tried and tested to withstand the toughest pursuits.
With a stylish interior reminiscent of a cockpit and a powerful turbocharged 1.6-litre G16E-GTS three-cylinder engine, this sporty thrill is wildly fun for both the track and the everyday drive.
And we didn’t stop there. With more tweaking and testing, we also left the garage with a lightning-fast variant. Using personalised specifications affixed by Akio himself, we’re adding the GR Corolla Morizo edition to an already impressive lineup of GAZOO Racing vehicles. This exciting two-seater has edited tuning to increase the car’s torque power and is coming to Australia in 2023.
