Race-inspired Corolla a rare catch for Vernon buyer

Photo: Castanet

Picking up a brand new car at the dealership is a good day for anyone, but one lucky Vernon driver got his hands on an ultra-rare, race-inspired hot hatch on Friday.

Toyota Canada representatives even came to town to hand over the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition to the enthusiast driver, who prefers to keep his name out of the news.

While many might think of the venerable Corolla as a reliable grocery getter more than a race car, the Morizo Edition boasts 300 horsepower from its turbocharged 1.6-litre engine – which has just three cylinders.

That's a whopping 100 hp per cylinder, and it also cranks out 295 foot-pounds of torque, delivered through a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive drivetrain.

It's one of just 10 in Canada, the only one of its kind in B.C., and part of a production run of just 200 for global delivery.

The lucky owner says he's been racing on the track since 2004, primarily in Ontario. And he had to win a lottery and show his driving experience just to be able to qualify to buy the car.

He's got plans to take his new ride to the Area 27 track in the South Okanagan for some high-speed shenanigans.

The car is a product of Toyota's Gazoo Racing team and is built in a purpose-built factory in Japan where the cars are significantly lightened by 50 kilograms, turned into two-seaters, given a carbon-fibre roof, and stiffened up with additional welds and braces.

The drivetrain allows adjustment of power distribution from 60/40 front-rear to 50/50 and 30/70 for everything from street driving to the track or rally stage.

Limited-slip differentials sit at both ends of the car.