No performance car can claim to have sent a bigger shockwave through the market than the current Toyota GR Yaris. Lauded by the press (us included) and evidently adored by the buying public, the all-wheel-drive supermini has arguably attained instant classic status. Certainly its price secondhand can attest to the label; limited supply and huge demand has resulted in as much as £40k being asked for delivery-mile Circuit Pack cars - very nearly a 20 per cent increase over the sticker price of the launch model we tested nearly a year ago.
Of course that is simply the used market doing its thing. Give it enough time (and future volume) and Yaris prices will eventually return to earth. But for now at least it does mean that you can buy its predecessor for around half what a 2021 registered, available-right-now GR Yaris would set you back. Obviously the GRMN is a very different proposition to the current model - but it's also limited to just 100 examples in the UK, making it significantly rarer than its pumped-up successor.
It is also, lest we forget, similarly trick. Granted, Toyota didn't go to the considerable trouble of plumbing an all-wheel-drive system into the GRNM, but it did fit the supercharged 1.8-litre four-pot more commonly found powering the Lotus Elise. This delivered 212hp at 6,800rpm, which was a sufficiently big rocket for its maker to claim 6.4 seconds to 62mph - although it was the unlikely appearance of the intercooled Magnuson Eaton 'charger in a supermini that qualified the Yaris as one of the more involving hot hatches of the previous decade.
This being Toyota, it didn't stop there either. To prevent the front-driver from messily spilling its uprated output in the first tight corner the manufacturer fitted a Torsen limited-slip differential, and treated the nose to a lateral brace alongside a dramatically fatter anti-roll bar. It also took the wise decision to overhaul the chassis with much shorter springs - reducing the Yaris's ride height by fully 24mm - and added Sachs performance dampers and lighter wheels to the result.
What the GRMN didn't get was the extensive (and enormously costly) bodywork revisions that Toyota employed in the GR, which meant it lacked a certain amount of presence - not to mention the dramatically fatter footprint that distinguishes the current model from the cooking versions. Nevertheless, the GRMN was built to take considerable punishment, including track use, and can therefore be merrily driven on its door mirrors all day long - to enlivening effect.
This being PH, there are several currently available in the classifieds, but we'll draw your attention to the cheapest, which at £18,499 for a limited-edition (and instantly sold-out) model, doesn't seem to rich - especially when its 20k mileage is likely to have been accrued by a diehard Toyota enthusiast. It's a fair bet that at least some of the original 100 owners opted to upgrade when the new GR launched, and the current version is undoubtedly a more than worthy successor. But the GRMN has well-earned its place in the manufacturer's fast-car history, and is easily deserving of a second look.
SPECIFICATION | TOYOTA YARIS GRMN
Engine: 1,798cc, supercharged 4-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 212@6,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 184@5,000rpm
MPG: 37.6 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 170g/km
Year registered: 2018
Recorded mileage: 20,000
Price new: £26,295
Yours for: £18,499
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