As the first completely new tuner cars to come out since the first Subaru BRZ, the GR Yaris and GR Corolla are very exciting for the tuning world. Both vehicles have the same turbocharged G16E-GTS three-cylinder engine, which is excellent for the aftermarket, even though the Corolla was only sold in the US. There is already a GR Yaris with 740 horsepower on the base engine block, so there is much room for improvement. The tiny powerhouse was made by an Australian company called Powertune. Peter Freedman, the man behind Rode Microphones, owns it. It has a lot of aftermarket parts, like a bigger Garrett G25-550 turbocharger, an X-Shift six-speed sequential transmission, Kelford cams and valvetrain, and other changes that ensure the cylinders get enough fuel and air. The fact that it’s still on the original engine block is significant. The tiny 1.6-liter three-cylinder makes 740 horsepower on a stock bottom end, which is a lot for a 2JZ. But there’s a reason why it can take so much power: Toyota designed the engine to be very strong. It has very thick cylinder walls, a bedplate-style block that holds the cast crankshaft and connecting rods in place, and substantial intake runners that let a lot of air into the three cylinders. Its structure is more robust than that of most engines. This is probably because it was made for the GR hot hatch duo in particular. It doesn’t always run at 740 horsepower, so it’s most likely run on race fuel or E85 ethanol. A DriftSquid movie on YouTube says that the car has 400 horsepower and runs on regular gasoline. If you understand, that is a significant change. Even though the engine can only make full power with better fuel, the setting for pump gas may be too cautious to save the engine. There’s no way around it when the engine is that small. In any case, it may take a lot of strength. I don’t know how long, but I’d be surprised if a 1.6-liter engine could make 740 horsepower.
