--- title: "Toyota Is Turning a GR86 Into a Celica GT-Four Homage With the GR Corolla’s Help" description: "Evasive Motorsports was hired to stuff a GR Corolla's guts into a GR86 for SEMA, making an all-wheel-drive rally tribute." date: "2024-06-26" modified: "2024-06-26" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/culture/toyota-is-turning-a-gr86-into-a-celica-gt-four-homage-with-the-gr-corollas-help" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Toyota News" tags: - "Coupe" - "GR Corolla" - "GR86" - "Hatchback" - "sports car" - "Toyota" --- # Toyota Is Turning a GR86 Into a Celica GT-Four Homage With the GR Corolla’s Help ![]() *Toyota/Larry Chen* Toyota enthusiasts have been begging for a turbocharged GR86 since the car was first launched under the Scion FR-S name in 2012. And while countless tuners and owners have built their own turbocharged projects, [Toyota]() has been noticeably absent from the forced-induction conversation. Until now. Sort of. Toyota asked Evasive Motorsports to build a GR86 with the oily bits from a [GR Corolla]() for SEMA, and motorsport photographer [Larry Chen]() stopped by to check it out. Evasive Motorsports is no stranger to Toyota '86 engine swaps. In 2020, it stuffed a 2JZ engine under the hood of a first-gen GT86 and won the Pikes Peak Unlimited Division with it. That experience with 86 builds is the reason why Toyota reached out to Evasive Motorsports with this very specific project—build a GR Corolla-powered GR86 that pays tribute to its iconic rally cars of the past, like the [Celica GT-Four](). Despite both cars being Toyota products, swapping guts isn't an easy task. The [GR86]() and GR Corolla are drastically different machines. The former is a two-door, rear-wheel drive coupe, with a longitudinally mounted, Subaru-sourced boxer four-cylinder up front. The latter is a five-door, front-wheel-drive-based hatchback, with a transverse-mounted turbocharged three-cylinder engine, and a complex all-wheel-drive system. It might sound easy to just drop in a GRolla engine, but retaining full all-wheel drive functionality is difficult, since the GR86's chassis isn't designed for it. Much custom fabricating is needed. ![]() ![]() Some things did sort of just fall in place, though. The GR Corolla's rear differential, for example fit surprisingly well in the GR86's rear end, with only minor fabrication work needed. Up front, the GR Corolla's axles and wheel hubs fit almost perfectly, despite being longer than the GR86's axles. Only a different wheel offset is needed to keep the wheels flush after the swap. Evasive isn't even doing a widebody kit, so the GR86's fenders will stay as they are. From the factory, the GRolla makes 300 horsepower, up 78 ponies over the stock GR86. So this build will have a massive performance upgrade as it stands. However, with simple engine management, a bigger turbo, and new fuel injectors, it has the potential to be a monster. Hopefully Toyota and Evasive take it rally racing once it leaves SEMA, as it's too cool to forever live the life of a show car. (We're not sure it'll get the famous Castrol getup shown in the video's thumbnail, though. Upon close inspection, that just looks like a screenshot of someone's custom *iRacing* livery.) If this thing is half as awesome on dirt as the iconic Celica GT-Four, Toyota and Evasive will have a future classic on their hands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu-j93V9WpI *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()