The Toyota GT86 CS-R3 promises the exciting return of rear-wheel drive to rallying. It's not yet that we'll see epic duels between rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, as in the past, but the GT86 CS-R3 will certainly shake the waters, where the competition is all made up of front-wheel-drive SUVs.
Not long ago, we were writing enthusiastically about the shy return of rear-wheel-drive models to the rally stages, now we present another one: the Toyota GT86 CS-R3. The FIA created the R-GT category to allow the return of rear-wheel-drive sports cars to rallying, but the Toyota GT86 will hardly rival the Porsche 911 GT3 that Chris Harris had the opportunity to test.
This Toyota GT86 is located further down the hierarchy of categories, falling into the R3 category, closest to the cars we drive. As such, it will face an armada of vitamin-filled SUVs with “everything ahead” – that is, engine and drive axle.
The Renault Clio, Citroen DS3, and even the Fiat Abarth 500 will be their rivals. Toyota's effort to adapt the most classic of architectures to the world of rallying must be celebrated. Increased diversity, and certainly more spectacle guaranteed.
The GT86 CS-R3 is the work of Toyota Motorsport GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany. The adaptation of the GT86 CS-R3 for rallies has been going on since last summer, when the first development tests began. The R3 category allows cars close to the production ones to participate in the most varied events, allowing limited modifications in relation to the vehicles they are based on.
Compared to a production Toyota GT86, the CS-R3 retains the atmospheric 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and boxer architecture. This engine, which, thanks to changes in the camshaft, compression ratio, and the addition of a new HJS competition exhaust system, sees its power rise from 200 to 240hp. Torque hits 230Nm at 6800rpm, 25Nm more than the production GT-86. The transmission is no longer manual and becomes sequential, provided by Drenth and also with 6 speeds.
The most curious modification is the abandonment of the electric assistance steering, returning to the “old lady” hydraulic assistance. Are pilots also looking to «feel» what the wheels are doing?
The GT86 CS-R3 comes prepared for two types of tread. For asphalt, it has 17″ OZ wheels and 330mm front discs, while for dirt or gravel sections the OZ wheels are 16″ and the front discs have a smaller diameter (300mm). The regulated weight is 1080kg, which is 150kg lighter than the production GT86.
