Toyota’s GR Corolla and GR Yaris are keeping the dream alive for new car enthusiasts and lovers of hot hatches, along with Hyundai’s i30 N and Honda’s Civic Type R. But it hasn’t always been like this.
Australia didn’t receive the three-door bubble back version of the E110 Corolla. The hottest equivalent we had here was the turbocharged, five-door Seca Sportivo. But if you watched Channel 10 on the weekends, chances are you saw Carlos Sainz throwing around one of those three-doors in the mud in the WRC.
German tuning mob JP Performance has fused these two icons of Toyota’s past and present together to create a 224kW, AWD restomod rally rocket. That means a 1.6-litre turbo triple, six-speed manual and Toyota’s GR-Four all-wheel drive, stuffed into an old Corolla.
Although the Corolla has traditionally sat above the Yaris/Echo for size, this car’s wheelbase is almost 100mm shorter at 2461mm.
The 2025 GR Yaris is no bushpig at 1290kg (tare), but the lighter, smaller and simpler bodywork of the older Corolla three-door would push that weight down closer to the tonne.
Suspension and brakes have come in for a much-needed upgrade too, to match the performance. In fact, the whole chassis and interior have been transplanted from the modern hot hatch into the 1990s hatch.
A wide bodykit, wicked spoiler and Compromotive wheels give it the subtle visual aggression to back up its power upgrade. It almost looks like Carlos’s version, without decals.
The result is a very clean, factory looking car – just as well since the boys want roadworthy certification from Germany’s notoriously meticulous TÜV.
Do you think this is the ideal restomod? Or could you think of a better combination of old + new than this? Let us know in the comments. You can also check out the full build video below.
