Auto enthusiasts in North America lost their minds when Toyota introduced the GR Yaris in 2020. It was hot hatch incarnate: 268 horsepower turbocharged engine, all-wheel drive, light hatchback body style. Sadly it was not for us as it was initially a homologation special just for Europe. Thankfully, Toyota did us a solid a few years later with the GR Corolla. Even though the GR Yaris never came to the U.S. now is your chance to actually own one, if you have deep enough pockets.
Built For Backroads currently has a unique 2022 GR Yaris Circuit Edition listed for sale. This isn’t just any GR Yaris either. This was originally a SEMA build for the 2022 show done up by Evasive Motorsports. The exterior livery was penned by iconic automotive designer and comic illustrator — he’s done a lot of work with DC and Marvel— Jon Sibal. Evasive then threw on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires wrapped about Titan 7 TS5 wheels. Coilovers from Tein rounded out what Evasive described as “simple yet aggressive.” Other than those mods and an engine cover signed by Akio Toyoda himself, the Yaris is stock.
The backstory on the GR Yaris is actually more interesting than the fact that the car was a SEMA build. As detailed on Pit +Paddock, The owner Todd Lewis — who’s listing the Yairs on Built For Backroads — stalked the community page for Toyota Mexico when he heard that 300 would be sent to the country. Once he heard that one had become available he was getting things together to buy it, until he saw that it was only available for someone who was a Mexican resident.
From there he gave $5,000 to someone he only referred to as “The Accountant” to make a deposit on the Yaris. Once #284 of #300 was his, it was just a matter of hiring various transport drivers to make the perilous journey from Mexico to the border in San Diego, where it was then but a short trip to his garage. It honestly all sounds like some kind of cool heist movie and I bet it was all worth it.
The GR Yaris is currently listed for $60,000. It’s a lot, sure, but it’s also not a bad price for something you might not get a chance to see on this continent for another couple decades. Before you think you can go driving it around to show it off, think again: I was informed it’s not street legal and is being sold with a bill of sale that states it’s only for track use. If you’re interested, you might want to double check with your state’s laws. Some states allow vehicle’s with bills of sale for track use only temporarily and even then it’s only for vehicles that have been specifically outfitted for racing.
