WRC

Ott Tanak secretly tests new Toyota car for 2027 WRC season

For some it is a surprise, for some it is not. The 2019 world rally champion got behind the wheel of the Toyota team's factory rally car for the 2027 season. And already in Croatia.

In the shadow of the Croatia Rally 2026, Ott Tanak tested the new Toyota team car for the 2027 season. Let's recall that Ott Tanak retired from the FIA ​​World Rally Championship and the Hyundai team at the end of the 2025 season. Good connoisseurs of rally sport know that a driver of this caliber cannot sit at home. He was hired by Toyota to develop a new car. There is still no official information about whether the 38-year-old Estonian could be the team's official competition driver in the new season. Of course, that would not be a surprise.

Tanak emphasized to DirtFish that he knows the Toyota team structure well and that he is happy to be involved in the project again. He explained that Toyota contacted him shortly before the Croatia Rally. The first day of testing was extensive, with plenty of driving time, and the next day he carried out a full program. The car has covered a significant number of kilometers so far, both on dirt and asphalt surfaces.

Tänak, who won his 2019 world title with Toyota, spent his first full day back in a factory car on a Croatian development test on Thursday. Talking to DirtFish, Tänak confirmed he will work with Toyota for the rest of the season – but was quick to point out that his return to rallying didn’t signify a return to the WRC.

“I was asked [by the team] quite recently,” he said, “and it was nice call to take. Obviously, I took my break and, yeah, it’s been nice to do my own stuff, but this opportunity came along, we know the background to the team and I was excited to get involved.

“It’s a nice balance to have my own time and to be driving some rally cars. In Thursday(16/04) was my first day in the car and it was a full day, a lot of driving – we’ll do the same tomorrow. The car has done, already, quite a lot of mileage, so it’s not like it’s the first days anymore.”

Asked for his views on the new car, the identity of which has yet to be confirmed, Tänak added: “We know the regulation is quite a big change and it’s now the job of the team to get everything to max out. We know it’s going to be a very, very big challenge to beat the Rally2 cars. It’s a big job.”

While Toyota technical director Tom Fowler wouldn’t be drawn on what the new car was, he confirmed the prototype was currently being tested.

“At this point in time we are already running our prototype test car,” Fowler told DirtFish. “The design team are concentrating on all of the feedback that’s coming from that car and working around issues and improvements.

“The original target was to start running the car in 2026. We met that target. The car has been running for a few tests already and it’s definitely done more than 2000 kilometers. I can’t tell you the exact figure.”

The spaceframe-based chassis regulations allow manufacturers to drop bodywork from any vehicle onto a WRC27 car so long as it fits within a window of predefined dimensions. That means Toyota’s WRC27 challenger will share the same drivetrain as the GR Yaris Rally2, but can run bodywork matching another vehicle from Toyota’s road car lineup.

Toyota does not currently mass-produce a vehicle matching the shape shown in the testing photos. However, the FT-Se concept car demonstrated by Toyota in 2024 hinted at a future two-door coupé model positioned below the current Supra flagship and upcoming GR GT.

New sports car with rally prototype undergoing testing...The GR division has changed the course of part of Toyota in recent years. Increasingly committed to motorsport competitions and sports models, the division is about to launch another model soon, one that will be born from the rally tracks.

The first appearance of the model was spotted by photographer Marcio Pereira and published by the French website Rallye-Sport. The images show a two-door coupe under heavy camouflage in the traditional colors of Toyota Gazoo Racing.

The website states that the model will make its debut in the 2027 WRC (World Rally Championship) season, therefore, the official presentation should take place later this year.

According to the specialized portal Autosport, Toyota is the only manufacturer to develop a completely new model for the new rules of the World Rally Championship, which from 2027 will allow diverse body styles, going beyond hatchbacks, as is the case with the current Hyundai i20, Toyota GR Yaris and Ford Puma.

Although Toyota hasn't confirmed it, it's highly likely that the new model will be called Celica, reviving the coupe manufactured between 1970 and 2003. At the 2024 Rally Japan, Yuki Nakajima, Toyota's vice president, declared to the fans present that the brand would produce the Celica.

In the past, Akio Toyota, former president of the company and current chairman of the board, has stated that he would like to revive the "three brothers" Supra, Celica, and MR2, models that marked an era for Toyota in the 80s and 90s.

Another factor reinforcing the idea that the model being tested may be the Celica and not the MR2 is the fact that the Celica has a history in the World Rally Championship, having won four drivers' titles and two constructors' world championships.

Autonews and Mundoquatrorodas