The Toyota GR Corolla was revealed barely two months ago, but it seems the Gazoo Racing team took that time to find a bit more performance lurking within that five-door body. Sure, the car already has a Circuit Edition for its first model year, but what would a true track-day special GR Corolla look like? Here’s your answer: The GR Corolla Morizo Edition, a four-door hatchback with only two seats.
The name “Morizo” may seem like an odd choice — we all know GR, TRD, or Tosco, but what’s a Morizo? The answer is not what, but who: Morizo is the name Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, uses when he wants to compete in races incognito. That’s a dedicated enthusiast, right there.
Toyota says the Morizo Edition includes upgrades chosen specifically to meet the demands of Toyoda himself: Grippier rubber wrapped around wider wheels, shorter ratios for the six-speed manual transmission, and an extra 22 lb-ft of torque to bring the total up to 295. Oh, and did I mention the rear seats are gone?
The two seats that remain in the Morizo Edition get leather and ultrasuede upholstery, and there are further track-day lightness measures: The rear windows don’t roll down, and the rear doors have no stereo speakers — after all, there’s no one left back there to cool or entertain. The rear hatch loses its windshield wiper to shave a few more precious ounces.
The result is a 100-lb weight reduction from the standard GR Corolla, down to a curb weight of 3,186 lbs. Between that light weight and the car’s front and rear limited-slip differentials (borrowed from the Circuit Edition), it ought to be an absolute riot to drive. That is, if you can get your hands on one — Toyota will only build 200 of these track-ready hot hatches.
Toyota hasn’t yet announced pricing for the regular GR Corolla, much less the Morizo Edition. We’d expect a bit of a price bump over both the Core and Circuit Editions of the car, and even more of a dealer markup once it hits the showroom floors in 2023.