Gazoo Racing's S-FR racecar concept is very cute but also very angry
Toyota's racing arm turned a little gumdrop of joy into an aggressive racecar, thanks to some choice aesthetic upgrades.
The Toyota S-FR concept, which debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show, is an adorable little roadster. Gazoo Racing, the united front that covers all of Toyota's motorsports activities, is a pretty adorable name. How, then, could such a confluence of cuteness create something as mean looking as the Toyota S-FR Racing Concept?
The S-FR Racing Concept is an exercise in taking an otherwise ordinary car and gussying it up for the track. Rightfully so, as the car was supposed to be unveiled at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Salon, which is the Japanese equivalent of SEMA or the Essen Motor Show -- a haven for all manner of modified car.
As the pictures were leaked out on the Internet before the show, details are scant, but a quick trip to Gazoo's website and a little bit of Google Translate (it's all in Japanese) gave us an idea of the exterior modifications. The S-FR Racing Concept sports a new hood, flared fenders, a front chin spoiler, canards, a rear spoiler and a massive diffuser. Most of the new parts are made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, not only because it's light, but also because it's flashy.
That is one honkin' diffuser.
Toyota remains tight-lipped about any sort of powertrain, as it's only a concept and might never actually see production. However, we'd assume that a few extra horsepower are lying around in the racing concept's engine bay. Not that there's much room for anything in there -- the S-FR's diminutive proportions make the Scion FR-S look big. To give you an idea of the car's size, those just-right wheels you see measure just 15 inches in diameter.
Should this car come to production, however, the racing concept is so adorably aggressive that Toyota should create a one-make racing series for it. Who wouldn't want to watch these wide-eyed jellybeans rip around a track at high speeds for a couple of hours?
