Even in its stock form, the hot GR Yaris hatch is a testimony to Toyota’s engineering finesse. Powered by a humble 1.6-liter three-pot, it nonetheless gets up to 272 PS (268 hp / 200 kW) from it. Of course, the example pictured here is much wilder still.
Responsible for the build is Severn Valley Motorsport, a UK-based tuning firm. The process involved swapping out more engine internals than there was left stock, but in the end, the three-door ride slammed the wheels with around 456 PS (450 hp / 336 kW). Pouring in racing fuel kicked up the output to around 507 PS (500 hp / 373 kW), which means nearly 170 horsepower per cylinder. Let that sink in: this compact gets more horses per cylinder than most affordable city cars get from their entire powertrains.
Other noteworthy improvements included coilovers and carbon-ceramic brakes originally designed for the Nissan GT-R. The giant rotors measure full 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) across and just barely fit within their designated spaces even with purpose-made OZ Racing wheels installed.