Toyota Gazoo Racing has been putting a rather intriguing two-door rally car through its paces in Europe. We’ve seen the prototype before, but its latest appearance provides a much clearer look at the body hiding underneath Toyota’s familiar camouflage.
This time, the development car was spotted testing around Tarragona, Spain, where it wasn’t exactly kept away from curious spectators. WRC driver Ott Tänak even parked the prototype close enough for photographers to get a detailed look.
What they saw was a low, wide coupe with styling quite unlike the GR Yaris Rally1 currently carrying Toyota’s WRC hopes. The latest prototype also appears to have evolved since an earlier development car was spotted testing in Portugal in February.
Toyota hasn’t officially told us what this machine will be called, which leaves one particularly interesting possibility hanging in the air. With the automaker preparing its next generation of rally machinery, the prototype could offer an early taste of another Toyota performance car enthusiasts have been waiting to see.
The Prototype Is Starting To Show Its Shape
Despite the red, black, gray, and white camouflage, several design details are becoming easier to identify. The front features slim, aggressive headlights, a prominent hood scoop, and additional openings across the hood, while a large central intake dominates the bumper.
Things get particularly interesting from the side. Instead of resembling a heavily modified GR Yaris, the prototype has a proper two-door coupe profile accompanied by enormous fender extensions and thick side skirts.
Intakes sit beneath the rear quarter windows, while the fastback-style rear is topped by an integrated spoiler and substantial fixed wing. A full-width element appears to connect the taillights, and a single exhaust exits from the center of the rear bumper.
Could This Be The Celica’s Rally Return?
La Toyota WRC27 encore en essais #WRC pic.twitter.com/Cg4Es2lqms
— Rallye Sport (@RallyeSport) September 29, 2026
Toyota hasn’t confirmed that the prototype is a Celica, so treating it as one at this stage would be premature. The combination of its coupe proportions and Toyota’s known interest in reviving the Celica, however, makes the connection particularly intriguing.
There’s historical precedent, too. Previous Celicas became synonymous with Toyota’s rallying efforts during the nameplate’s competition heyday, making a return to WRC an obvious way to reconnect a new generation with that history.
The timing also fits with Toyota’s need for new machinery under the WRC regulations taking effect in 2027. The prototype is being developed to succeed the GR Yaris Rally1, although its eventual production-car identity remains unconfirmed.
Don’t Expect A Road Car With A Giant Wing
Even if Toyota ultimately calls both cars Celica, the competition machine won’t simply be a stripped and widened version of the showroom model. The 2027 WRC rules move competitors to a common tubular spaceframe architecture rather than requiring the rally car to share a production vehicle’s underlying structure.
That means the prototype’s proportions and enormous aerodynamic hardware shouldn’t be interpreted too literally. Smaller details such as the lighting, roofline, and overall design language could potentially provide better clues about what Toyota has planned for a future road car.
Reports have also suggested that a reborn production Celica could use Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, although final specifications haven’t been announced.
Toyota’s camouflaged WRC prototype is exactly that: a competition car undergoing development. If some of what we’re seeing eventually makes its way onto a new Celica, however, Toyota’s revived coupe could have one appropriately aggressive family resemblance.