Get muddy. Toyota takes the GT86 rallying with new CS-R3 model

By Stephen Edelstein Published January 27, 2015

Think “rally car” and nimble Subarus or Mitsubishis typically come to mind, but Toyota has had success in the mud-slinging arena as well.

Now, it’s making a comeback with the GT86 CS-R3, a rally-ready version of the rear-wheel drive sports car known as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.

It looks pretty cool in its racing war paint, but the CS-R3 won’t compete in the top tier of the World Rally Championship where Toyota achieved much of its past rally glory.

Instead, the new car will be entered in the R3 class, where cars are much closer to stock.

The 2.0-liter boxer-four is tuned to produce 238 horsepower and and 170 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to a six-speed Drenth sequential gearbox. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential.

Yup, this Toyota doesn’t have the traction-enhacning all-wheel drive that’s dominated rallying since the Audi Coupe quattro. That should make for some pretty epic power slides.

Available in either tarmac or gravel setups, the GT86 CS-R3 will undergo FIA certification in July. After that, it will be available for sale to privateer rally teams, and will be used in the HJS TMG CS-R3 Trophy one-make series.

Pricing starts at 84,000 euros (about $94,000), but orders placed before April 24 get a 5,000-euro discount.

So unless you’ve got considerable money and talent, it might be easier to put some stickers on an FR-S.

Stephen Edelstein

Former Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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