Toyota Gazoo Racing Consider Reviving Starlet Iconic Model In High Performance Version

Toyota Starlet. (Doc. Toyota)

JAKARTA - Gazoo Racing (GR), Toyota's motorsport division is known for its ability to develop cars into high-performance models. GR has successfully revived several iconic Toyota models, such as GR Supra, GR86, GR Corolla, GR Yaris, and Land Cruiser GR Sport.

However, GR didn't stop there. GR president Tomoya Takahashi has the desire to bring back another iconic model, Starlet. Takahashi revealed that she really likes Toyota subcompacts which were in the spotlight in the 1990s. Starlet is considered a light car with a turbocharged engine, thus providing a fun driving experience.

Even more interesting, Takahashi has ambitions to surpass his rival high-performance model, Honda Civic Type R. He wants to create a car that can beat Civic Type R in terms of performance and pleasure in driving.

"The first time I saw the Civic Type R, I was surprised by the hot hatchback, but I joined Toyota because I wanted to create a car that could outperform it," Takahashi said, as quoted by CarBuzz, Sunday, July 9.

Starlet may sound foreign to some people in various countries and is considered a boring car to drive. However, with a touch from the GR division, Starlet has the potential to be a very fun car to drive.

However, Takahashi's statement is just a personal opinion and not an official plan from the GR division. Previously, the previous GR president, Koji Sato, who currently serves as CEO of Toyota, also expressed his desire to revive the Celica model.

Whatever the next plan from the GR division, it is not yet known whether Starlet will actually be revived, which is certain to have the potential that Toyota will revive its long-lost old model.