The Renault Clio V-6 is the quintessential mid-engine hot hatch, but other brands have also dabbled in turning practical small cars into something more exciting. The Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 and MG Metro 6R4, along with a few wild concepts, spring to mind. Remember Volkswagen's bonkers W-12 Golf? Toyota recently added the GR Yaris M Concept to the list, and you'll be surprised to hear it's not the first of its kind from the Japanese automaker.
For the 2008 British International Motor Show, Toyota transformed its diminutive Aygo city car into something "Crazy." Yep, the one-off received the "Aygo Crazy" moniker and had little in common with the production model. Borrowing the 1.8-liter engine from the Celica and MR2, the pocket rocket received a Toyota Motorsport turbo kit. This kit bumped output from the regular model's measly 68 hp and 69 lb-ft (93 Nm) to 200 hp and 177 lb-ft (240 Nm).
The Aygo Crazy borrowed the MR2's five-speed manual gearbox, which routed power to the rear wheels. It must've been a hoot to drive, given a curb weight of only 2,314 pounds (1,050 kilograms), about as much as a Miata ND. Even Toyota described it as "like a kart with doors and a roof." No electronic nannies were on board, with the engineers choosing to leave out ABS and power steering. Like the GR Yaris M concept, its ancestor was strictly a two-seater.
The suspension was also taken from the MR2, with MacPherson struts front and rear to sharpen things up. Toyota gave the Aygo Crazy adjustable dampers and widened the tracks by a full inch. Elsewhere, the carbon fiber rear wing came from the American Champ Car series, which folded later that year. Larger 17-inch wheels wrapped in 225/45 tires replaced the stock model’s tiny 14-inch set, while ventilated discs replaced the rear drums. The front brakes were also upgraded with bigger discs and Brembo calipers.
Toyota quoted a 0 to 62 mph in 5.75 seconds for its so-called "shopping supercar" and an estimated top speed of 127 mph (204 km/h). That made it much quicker and faster than the standard Aygo, which completed the sprint in an agonizingly slow 14.2 seconds before maxing out at just 98 mph (157 km/h).
2008 Toyota Aygo Crazy Concept
The Aygo Crazy was conceived as a fully functional car. We can say the same about the GR Yaris M concept since Toyota president Akio Toyoda will race the mid-engine hot hatch later this year. A production version is unlikely, but the company has been dropping hints about bringing back the Celica and MR2. These cars could have Toyota's new G20E engine, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder projected to make roughly 400 hp.
