Easter Egg: Toyota gives hints at possible Celica, MR2 revival

Toyota’s GRIP Anime series teases new members of GR lineup

In case you haven’t been aware, Toyota this year has made its own Initial D-inspired anime entitled “GRIP” and is actually already in its second season.

For a moment, we thought it was just Toyota’s way of promoting their cars to young audiences. But apparently, it looks like Toyota wants to use it as a platform to give hints about its future GR models.

The first episode of the second season of GRIP contained a hidden surprise – there’s a scene where a list of model names is written on a whiteboard, along with a sketch of a fourth-gen Celica liftback. See the image below and prepare to be blown away.

Yes, those are model names that Toyota has yet to produce, and the list could be an early glimpse of what the Gazoo Racing lineup could look like in the future. Most notably, the list hints at the return of the Celica and MR2 in their 8th and 4th generations, respectively.

Toyota has already built a one-off GR86 with Turbo AWD for SEMA, and it looks like it could be a concept study for the new Celica as a front-engine, AWD coupe. On the other hand, the MR2 could be coming back as Toyota’s mid-engined sports car in the GR lineup, where it could be powered by the new 2.0-liter turbo that develops over 400 PS.

If anything, it could even be the production version of the FT-Se concept. With declining demand for EVs, the FT-Se concept could turn into a hybrid paired with the 2.0-liter turbo.

The GR GT3 on the other hand looks like it could be the flagship sports car in the GR lineup. Recently, Toyota has been seen testing at the Nurburgring with a V8-powered sports car, which could also be the new Lexus LFR.

Toyota Gazoo Racing is indeed finding clever ways to get us excited about what’s coming ahead. Fingers crossed we won’t have to wait too long for those to materialize.