At long last, the moment that hardcore enthusiasts have been anticipating for years: a Nurburgring-edition Toyota Corolla. Somewhere, James May is throwing an absolute fit.
Scheduled to be built and sold in Thailand, the latest ‘Ring-themed vehicle to hit the pavement is a celebration of Toyota’s 7th-place class finish at the 2014 24 Hours of Nurburgring. That’s 7 out of 10, by the way.
Based on the Corolla Altis ESport, the ESport Nurburgring edition adds some sporty flair to the sedan’s exterior, including a tweaked front bumper, ‘piano black’ grill, 17-inch alloys, LED lights, a faux diffuser, and most importantly, stickers.
Power comes from the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder that pushes the standard car, which makes 140 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque. That thrust is channeled through a seven-step CVT, because nothing saying Nurburgring like a CVT. It does feature paddle shifters, though.
Inside, Toyota has adorned the cabin with a black leather seats and a slew of red inserts in the dash and carpet. Two colors, White Pearl and Black Mica, will be offered when the vehicle goes on sale April 1st for around $29,500. It will be officially unveiled at the 36th Bangkok Motor Show March 24th.
In other Toyota racing news, the automaker has announced that its entrant for the upcoming World Rally Championship will be based on the Yaris subcompact. The prototype equips a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine with more than 300 hp and will also be four-wheel drive.
The brand will reportedly prep a road-going version of the car as well, albeit in limited numbers, as required by the FIA’s eligibility criteria. Sources say it could be powered by a version of the 2.0-liter turbo unit found inside the Lexus NX 200t.
