Back in the 90s and early 2000s, Toyota was well known for its driver-focused cars, like the Celica, Supra, Altezza and even the MR-S. These days, however, apart from the Toyota 86, they don’t seem to have anything remotely sporty in their range of vehicles, until recently…
Thanks to the success of the Mark X 350S, Toyota will be debuting a new variant with input from Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring (GRMN) to create the Mark X GRMN. The standard Mark X is powered by a range of V6 engines and power goes to the rear wheels via an automatic gearbox.
Taking a Mark X 350S as the base car, Toyota has not altered the 3.5-litre V6 at all, so it still produces the same 321 horsepower and 379 Nm of torque. However, Toyota has replaced the standard automatic gearbox with a proper 6-speed manual, and fitted a Torsen limited slip differential.
Driveline aside, the new Mark X GRMN also gets a new sport-tuned suspension system, better brakes, various chassis reinforcement and even a carbon-fibre roof. Other enhancements include a newly designed front bumper, quad exhaust pipes and new 19-inch wheels. The interior also gets the carbon-fibre treatment, with the dashboard and center console being riddled with carbon-fibre. In order to keep weight down, Toyota has removed the centre console’s infotainment system and replaced the standard seats with unique bucket seats.
Toyota plans to build just 100 units of the Mark X GRMN, keeping it properly exclusive. Prices are expected to be in the region of 5.4 million yen (RM157,040 before tax & excise duty) and will be on sale from March 2015 onwards.
