Toyota is reportedly in the thick of developing a high-performance ‘GRMN’ edition variant of its second-generation GR86 coupe.
Japanese outlet Magazine X reports that the GRMN86 will receive a comprehensive list of upgrades with engineers fettling with everything from the body to the boxer engine.
Toyota is reportedly working a GRMN-tuned 86
As detailed in our recent explainer, GRMN is Toyota’s highest tier within the Gazoo Racing brand, with the additional pair of letters meaning ‘Meisters of the Nürburgring’.
GRMN has recently spawned a special edition variant of the GR Yaris, with a new version of the Supra also rumoured to follow. No timing was speculated within the report but it’s unlikely we will see the special edition GR86 on sale until at least 2024.
Toyota GRMN86 changes detailed
The report indicates that the GRMN 86 will gain a host of upgrades designed to increase on-track performance, with a new lightweight bodykit complete with a carbon fibre roof, bonnet and spoiler. The backseats will also be ditched in pursuit of weight reduction.
From here the changes are more subtle, with reinforced suspension components fitted, along with a new steering rack exclusive to the GRMN edition.
It’s not the first time GRMN has tuned an 86
The outlet also notes that the coupe will feature a “stronger” version of its 2.4-litre naturally aspirated boxer four, that currently makes 174kW of power and 250Nm of torque.
Although not out of the question, we wouldn’t expect those figures to increase substantially, with Toyota engineers more likely to focus on factors such as throttle response and cooling in such a track-focused vehicle.
It’s notable that this isn’t the first time that GRMN has worked on the 86 coupe, with the team previously enhancing the first-generation coupe back in 2015.
At the time, GRMN added a very similar list of upgrades including a carbon bonnet, close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox, reworked suspension components and slightly increased engine outputs.
The GRMN Yaris is not just special, it’s also very rare with just 500 units set to be made
Will the GRMN86 come to Australia?
A defining factor of GRMN-badged models is not just their performance but also their exclusivity, with the recently unveiled variant of the GR Yaris limited to just 500 units.
Despite Australia’s well-documented love for this hot hatch, Chasing Cars understands that this special edition model will bypass local buyers.
The aforementioned first-generation ‘86 GRMN’ was also limited to just 100 units and sold exclusively in Japan, though with the new GR86 receiving such global attention it’s likely that it could be sold to a wider audience.
