This render of a GR-fied modern day Toyota Starlet here is however unfortunately just that thus far.
While the GR Yaris and Corolla twins already sees to Toyota having quite the robust hot hatch lineup, there is certainly no harm in adding a third to the party. And really, if an all-new Starlet looks this good, there should certainly be active calls for the Japanese automaker to revive this particular nameplate.
Now without wanting to yank on anyone’s chain any further, it is unfortunate to note that this particular render of the Starlet seen here is exactly just that. Illustrated by Andrew Guerrero for Top Gear Philippines back in 2020, these illustrations really just show what Toyota could do if they decide to bring back its 60-series rear-drive hatchback as a full fat GR-fied pocket rocket.
In any case though, these renderings are still nevertheless worth talking about at least for a bit. Not least because of just how cool it looks, but its proposed tech specs will similarly be a feast for petrolheads to savour as well!
Touching upon the looks department first, the twin horizontal bars across this Starlet’s front fascia certainly does echo its 60-series predecessor. This retro throwback is further emphasised by the Toyota script right in the centre too, which incidentally the Japanese automaker still uses it today in place of its logo on the latest Land Cruiser Prado.
It has to be said that fortunately the overall somewhat wide-eyed look of the Starlet from way back then has now since gave way to a more purposeful face, as a set of modern rectangular LED headlights replaces the old large circular units. Further aggression up front is to then be added by a large hexagonal lower grille as befitting of the hot GR spec, flanked on either end by chiseled foglight housings and complemented down below by a subtle front splitter.
Moving along the sides meanwhile, the almost Mazda3-level of C-pillar thickness on this Starlet render’s three-door silhouette has upped the boxiness factor from its spiritual predecessor to almost Lancia Delta Integral levels. Those flared-but-not-too-flared wheel arches in turn house within it some purposeful 8-spoke alloy wheels on this GR trim seen here, with the sportiness further emphasised by a cheeky boot spoiler round its rump.
And while on the topic of its rump, the faithfulness of this render paying homage to the 60-series Starlet has left it with a somewhat old-looking rear end aesthetic. This is certainly not helped by the set of early 00s spec rectangular crystal LED taillights, with the triangular rear repeaters and reasonably-sized single exit exhaust on that rear diffuser panel not doing all that much to detract from the rather slab-like bumper too.
As for the actual technical specs of this Starlet, this render of the Starlet apparently measures 4,015mm long, 1,730mm wide, and 1,398mm, and rides on a 2,527mm wheelbase. This puts it to be on par size-wise as ASEAN-spec Yaris, or to put it in another sense, exactly in between the two currently available GR hot hatches.
Top Gear Philippines has touted that this new Starlet is designed to be a performance-oriented rear-wheel-drive hot hatch that will undercut both the MX-5 as well as GR86, and the specs certainly seem to back that up. For starters, two engine options available with it: an M20A-FKS-based naturally aspirated 2.0-litre mill that puts out 187 hp and 205 Nm of torque, or a slightly less potent 1ZR-FAE-based naturally aspirated 1.6-litre unit that produces 145 hp and 159 Nm of torque.
Though perhaps more excitingly for enthusiasts is that these aforementioned engines will be hooked up to either a six-speed automatic, or a stick shift with the same number of ratios. What more too is that drive in this Starlet will be sent to the rear wheels, much like the Starlet from way back then!
In terms of suspension, this Starlet is envisioned to feature a MacPherson-strut front suspension and (a totally overkill) independent multilink setup round the rear. In order to maximise its sporting potential too, the motor is said to be set back slightly in the engine bay for a FMR layout to improve weight distribution.
Getting back to reality here however, the chances of Toyota actually delivering something even close to this is unfortunately slim to none. The Starlet proposal is already a hard sell to the board considering they have two hot hatches in their fleet, with it then further made harder still when knowing that they will have to develop an all new dedicated rear-drive platform for it.
Fortunately for those who want a sporty Toyota, the whispers regarding an upcoming Celica revival has been growing ever louder in recent time. And with the Japanese automaker recently rumoured to manage in extracting 600 horsepower from its upcoming 2.0-litre turbo four-pot, this two-door sports car should certainly be more than enough to keep petrolheads salivating.
