Being the new darling of the automotive enthusiasts collective, there’s definitely no shortage of tuning options for the Toyota GR Yaris, both aesthetics and performance-wise. On the former, we’ve already seen the Pandem widebody kit on Daigo Saito’s 2JZ-powered GR Yaris, and now Japanese tuning powerhouse Tom’s has also put out a body kit with their own take – and we really dig it.
The styling kit was unveiled last weekend via the ‘Tom’s Salon’ live stream, which was held as part of the virtual 2021 Tokyo Auto Salon. Presenting the car was none other than Toyota WRC factory Takamoto Katsuta, who actually owns the car you see in these pictures!
Compared to the Pandem kit, the Tom’s outfit is significantly more conservative – which is just the way we like it. Despite being dialled down, it still manages to look fast and angry, like a pissed-off chihuahua.
There’s a slightly-tweaked front bumper, tacking on a new front splitter and additional canards, while the lower air intake cut-out seems to have been widened as well to aid airflow to the seemingly larger radiator.
Meanwhile at the rear, the Tom’s Toyota GR Yaris gains a prominent diffuser, and what looks like massive air vents for the rear wheel arches at both edges. Overall, the Tom’s body kit barely changes the silhouette of the perky hot hatchback – no widebody nonsense here – aside from a drop in ride height.
Tom’s has also fitted a new oval-shaped tailpipe exit that shoots right out the middle, replacing the puny twin exits of the standard car. And for the finishing touches, The Tom’s GR Yaris also gets an extravagant rear wing, alongside a set of RAYS G025 wheels on all four corners.
Katsuta’s cars had some additional modifications on the inside, with the most significant change being the pair of Recaro carbon fibre bucket seats. The entire door card on the inside has also been swapped out for carbon fibre, along with the shift knob – the latter probably doesn’t contribute much to weight saving, but it does certainly look cool.
While the modifications are mostly aesthetic for now, Japanese motorsports publication Auto Sport Web reported that Tom’s also intends to develop engine tunes in the near future. If everything goes smoothly, the new aerokit and engine tune will be available to purchase this summer (June – Oct).
