15 Things That Make the GR COROLLA a FUTURE CLASSIC!

🔥Is the 2023 TOYOTA GR COROLLA CIRCUIT EDITION a future classic? I break down the 15 specific reasons this homologation special based Corolla is on a one-way collectability trajectory. And why most buyers have no idea what they are actually sitting in.

No fluff. No sponsored content. Real numbers and a take that the hot hatch community is going to argue about.

If you are considering a GR Corolla purchase, already own one, or want to understand where the Japanese performance car collector market is heading, this video is built for you.
 
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#GRCorolla #ToyotaGRCorolla #CircuitEdition #FutureClassicCars #ToyotaGazooRacing #GRCorollaCircuitEdition #HomologationSpecial #ManualTransmission #HotHatch #GRFour
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📋 CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 
0:00 Why the GR Corolla?
01:03 My Ownership Background and Real Numbers
02:16 Reason 1: This Is a Homologation Special
03:19 Reason 2: The G16E-GTS Is a Racing Engine
04:38 Reason 3: GR-Four AWD Comes From Rally Racing
05:19 Reason 4: Circuit Edition Is a Distinct Limited Variant
05:56 Reason 5: Toyota Built This To Make a Statement
07:06 Reason 6: Production Numbers Were Genuinely Limited
07:53 Reason 7: The Circuit Edition Was a Capped Run
08:10 Reason 8: Manual-Only In a Market Abandoning Manuals
09:33 Reason 9: The Hot Hatch Segment Is Shrinking
10:42 Reason 10: The GR Yaris Already Showed Us The Roadmap
12:00 Reason 11: Toyota Gazoo Racing Is a Real Performance Brand
12:56 Reason 12: Toyota Reliability Protects Future Supply
14:17 Reason 13: The Price Point Created a Strong Ownership Base
15:12 Reason 14: Depreciation Has Already Stabilized
16:08 Reason 15: The Window Is Still Open
17:01 Final Take and Next Steps

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Ponda did that with its original NSX. BMW did it early with the M Division. Toyota is now doing it with the GR. If you want to know where the GR Corolla Circuit Edition is going, look at what Toyota Gaza Racing changed all of that. Now here's something that almost never gets mentioned in collectibility conversations. This is one of the most underappreciated collectibility factors. The window on the GR Circuit Edition is open, but now I'm going to tell you something that's going to sound a little bit crazy, but I want you to remember that you heard it here first. This 2023 GR Corolla Circuit Edition, you know, the car that uh dealers were charging five or even ten thousand dollars ADM when it was first on the market is gonna become a future collectible. In fact, it's gonna become one of the most sought-after Japanese hatchbacks of this generation. And most people that currently own GR Corolla Circuit Editions don't even know what they're sitting in. Now I know what you're thinking. It's a Corolla. It's three cylinders. It's got a backseat that you can barely use, and a trunk that's barely big enough for a carry-on bag. Believe me, I know because I own one. I know everything annoying about it. I've owned mine for over 18,000 miles in two years, and I've driven through all four seasons in Ontario, Canada. And I mean winter. And I'm telling you, this is a future collector car. And I'm gonna prove it to you in 15 specific reasons. And stay with me on this one, because by the time we get to the 15th reason, even the skeptics out there will be thinking, hey, Gary's definitely onto something here. Now, before we get into the list, here's where I'm coming from. I've been driving manual transmission cars for over 50 years. I'm a track instructor with the Porsche Club of America, so I definitely own all my cars. And I've done real ownership numbers on my 2023 GR Corolla Supersonic Red Circuit Edition. And if you want the full breakdown, I've got a link to that video in the description down below so you can definitely check it out for yourself after this one's done. So when I tell you this car is a future collectible, it's not just because I've borrowed this car from a week from some manufacturer and uh written as a hot take. This is actually what I'm experiencing and actually what I'm gonna share with you today. And believe me, I know the difference between a car that's exciting at a media launch and a car that earns it over time in real ownership usage. And believe me, this car's earned it. Reason number one, it's based on a homologation special. So short answer: this isn't just a hot hatch. This is a hot hatch that has the same drive line that was used in the GR Yaris for its homologation process so it would be uh be able to compete in the World Rally Championship. So homologation cars, uh, like I say, they need to produce a certain amount of them that are road legal to be able to qualify for the World Rally Championship. Toyota took that same engine and uh drivetrain that was in the GR Yaris and put that into the GR Corolla. So that G16E GTS and that GR all-wheel drive uh drive system that's used in the GR Yaris is shared also with this GR Corolla. The road car becomes the paperwork and the race car becomes the point. Now keep in mind that every legendary hot hatch in history started life this way the Lancia Delta Integrali, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Every single one of them was a homologation special. Every single one of them is a collector car today. So reason number two, that G60E GTS engine is a high output racing unit. Now, people love to hate on three cylinders, right? I hear it constantly. I understand the instinct. Three cylinders, yep, that sounds like a rental car, doesn't it? It sounds like a compromise. Here's what it actually is, though. The G60E GTS is a 1.6 liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine that Toyota specifically developed for motorsport. It produces 300 horsepower in circuit edition tune. That's 187 horsepower per liter. To give you some context, a Ferrari 458 makes approximately 120 horsepower per liter, and that number was considered extraordinary in its time. Now keep in mind the architecture of this engine traces directly to Toyota Gazu Racing's competition programs. It's not a three-cylinder because Toyota was cutting costs. It's a three-cylinder because that's what the race program required. And again, that provenance matters. Now I can tell you from 18,000 miles of ownership, this engine still feels every bit as quick as the day that you know I brought it home. Actually, I think it feels even quicker now that I know how to properly drive it. That confidence you build with a car over time, no press reviewer can tell you about that. Reason number three, the GR4 all-wheel drive is derived from Rally Racing. The GR4 all-wheel drive system in this car isn't a standard torque vectoring system tuned for marketing purposes. It's a direct descendant of the technology Toyota ran in the GRYRs, which competed at the highest level of rally racing globally. You can adjust the front rear torque split, 6040, 5050, or 3070. And you can actually do that on the fly. Point is that feature doesn't belong on a family hatchback. It belongs on a car that was intended to be driven, the absolute limit, you know, on wet gravel. The fact that you can also drive it to the grocery store, and believe me, I do, is almost beside the point. Now, reason number four is the circuit edition is a distinct, limited variant. This matters, and I want to be precise about it because not all GR Corollas carry the same collectibility weight. There are multiple variants, the core, the circuit edition, and the extremely limited Marizo Edition. The Circuit Edition specifically gets a carbon fiber roof panel, tors and limited slip differentials, both front and rear. By the way, those aren't option box upgrades. They're factory configurations that were engineered as a package and cannot be replicated on a core just by throwing money at it. That exclusivity of configuration is a collectability multiplier. So reason number five, Toyota built this car to make a statement, not to make money. Now here's something Toyota will never say publicly, but the numbers suggested pretty strongly. The GR Corolla Circuit Edition, sold at MSRP, was not a profitable exercise at normal volumes. Carbon fiber roof panels, torsion differentials, a motorsport derived engine, yeah, these are expensive components. Toyota absorbs significant engineering costs to prove the GR brand was legitimate. Now keep in mind, this car was hand built at the Motomachi factory in Japan. The same factory that built the Lexus LFA. Now that level of attention isn't accidental. When a manufacturer takes a loss leader position to establish a performance brand, the cars they build in that window tend to become historically significant. Honda did that with its original NSX. BMW did it early with the M Division. Toyota is now doing it with the GR. And we'll talk about that a little bit more when we get into the brand section. Now that's the homologation argument. Five reasons this car came from Motorsport and carries that DNA in its bones. But there's a second argument, and this one is about scarcity, because you can't have a collector car without rarity. Let's get into that. Reason number six, production numbers were genuinely limited. The 2023 GR Corolla circuit editions were limited to 1,500 units. Mine was one of 181 that came to Canada. What the market told us is that allocation was extremely tight at launch. Dealers received a handful of units in 2023. Small dealers, like mine, received only one car that year. Demand exceeded supply by a significant margin. Now that's not marketing language. That's why dealer markups of five and ten thousand dollars above MSRP were standard practice in that first year. When buyers are paying above sticker on a Toyota, that's a supply signal. Keep in mind, dealer markup is a flawed metric for long-term value, but it's a clean signal of genuine market demand at a specific moment. Reason number seven, the circuit edition was a limited production run. The circuit edition, specifically with its carbon roof and dual torsion setup, was not available in unlimited quantity. Toyota allocated for specific model years and in specific volumes. When that window closed, it closed forever. So reason number eight, manual only at a time when the industry is abandoning manuals. So Toyota made a deliberate choice. The GR Corolla ships only with a six-speed intelligent manual transmission. There's no automatic option, no DCT alternative, no mode that does the clutch work for you. Now, if you want an automatic, it is available on the 2025s and newer cars. But keep in mind it isn't a fast shifting dual clutch, and you'll definitely miss the magic of that manual. Now that manual only decision, it sure alienated some buyers. I read the comments, but here's what it also did. It guaranteed that every GR Corolla on the road is driven by someone who chose to drive a manual. Typically, an enthusiast. That's a self-selecting ownership group. Typically, those are the people who maintain their cars. Those are the people who will hold on to them. The manual only decision filtered the ownership base in a way that protects the long-term condition of the fleet. And that matters when the collector car market eventually prices these cars. I can tell you from two years of daily driving, the six-beat, you know, it's still a joy. The throws are short and precise, the clutch is manageable in traffic. I'm not sitting there with a burning calf every day. And after a simple mod, which I'll link that video in the description down below, heel and toe down shifts are absolutely effortless. Reason number nine, the hot hatch segment is actively shrinking. Now let me give you a quick market scan of what's happening to manual driver-focused hot hatches right now. The Volkswagen Golf R, yep, it's more refined, it's has a better interior, it's quicker and pretty much trackable right off the showroom floor. But it feels less raw, less engaging, and there's no manual transmission available. That Honda Civic type R? Well, sure, it has incredible chassis, it's super track focused, but it's front-wheel drive only, which means you're fighting Torx deer under hard acceleration, and you get far less grip on gravel or slow. And believe me, on the roads that I drive here in Ontario, there's no way I'd be uh driving that Honda in the winter. The Super OWRX dropped the STI version entirely for the current generation. The Ford Focus RS, yep, it's gone. The Renault Magon RS, well, you know, that's gray market only here. That pool of genuine manual performance hot hatches is shrinking in real time. The GR Corolla Circondition is one of the last examples at any price point. Keep in mind, you're not just buying a rare car, you're buying a rare type of car. That distinction matters. Reason number 10, the GRERS has already shown us the roadmap. The GR Corolla's older sibling in the GR family is the GRYRS. Now, I know we spoke about that earlier, but it was only sold in Europe, Australia, and Japan. It wasn't officially imported into North America, so you almost never see one. And you know what it's doing in those markets right now? It's appreciating clean, low mileage GR Yaris examples in Australia and the UK are trading above original MSRP. This car that's only a few years old is now selling for more than it sold for brand new. Now the GR Yaris and GR Corolla share the same engine, a closely related all-wheel drive philosophy, and the same GR brand DNA. If you want to know where the GR Corolla Circuit Edition is going, look at what the GR Yaris already did in markets with fewer units. The roadmap exists. We're just a few years behind it. Again, that's the market telling you something, you gotta listen to it, right? So you've got the homologation argument and the scarcity argument. Ten reasons. Now, I want to talk about the part that I think is most underappreciated, and that is the brand argument. Because Toyota Gazoo Racing isn't a side project anymore. And what that means for the long-term value of the cars they've already built is significant. By the way, if you like this video podcast, please like and subscribe for more great performance car content just like this. Reason number 11 Toyota Gazoo Racing is a legitimate performance brand right now. Now I want you to think back 10 years and ask yourself, was anyone thinking about Toyota as a serious performance manufacturer? Yeah, you know, the answer is no. It was all about uh Camry, Highlander, Prius, yeah, reliable, excellent, but truly boring stuff. Toyota Gazi Racing changed all of that. Overall wins at Le Mans, a World Rally Championship program, the GR86, the GR Supra, the GR Yaris, and the GR Corolla. Now, this isn't just badge engineering. This is a manufacturer committing serious engineering resources and motorsport infrastructure to building a performance identity. And when a brand builds a performance identity, the early cars from that era become foundational. The GR Corolla is one of the first cars Toyota built when the GR became a real brand. That timing definitely matters, that's for sure. And then there's reason number 12, and that is Toyota reliability protects the future supply of good examples. Now, here's something that almost never gets mentioned in collectability conversations. The survival rate of the existing fleet matters enormously. A collector car is only valuable if clean examples actually exist in 20 years to be collected, right? Toyota has the best documented reliability reputation of any mainstream manufacturer. I can tell you from personal experience that after two years and over 18,000 miles of daily driving year-round, including those almost impossible Canadian winters, I've had absolutely no breakdowns, no warning lights, and no unscheduled dealer visits. There's been one small thing. The infotainment screen occasionally freezes and requires a reboot. In the grand scheme of things, yeah, that's incredibly minor. This car just works, and that's the Japanese reliability DNA. Now keep in mind a Honda S2000, another manual-only motorsport derived driver car, is now a legitimate collector item. Now, part of the reason that clean examples command premium prices is that Honda built it well enough to survive. Those were great cars. I know I owned two Honda S2000s back in the day. Toyota does the same. The GR Corolla Circuit Editions that are properly maintained today will still be here to be collected in 2040. Next up, reason 13, and that is the price point created a wide ownership base. Now, this is one of the most underappreciated collectibility factors. I want to spend a moment on it. The GR Corolla Circuit Edition came to the market at roughly $45,000 to $50,000 at MSRP. Now that's not entry level, but it's accessible to a significantly wider buyer pool than something like a Ferrari or a Porsche. So what that means for collectability is this there are a lot of GR Corolla Circuit Edition in the hands of enthusiasts who can afford to hold on to them. They're not distress sellers. They didn't stretch to buy it, they bought it because they love it. And they've got the financial position to keep it. Wide, passionate, financial stable ownership basis, sustain collector car markets over the long term. Again, look at the Honda S2000. Broad initial adoption by enthusiasts of super strong community, long-term appreciation. The Gear Corolla is following the exact same pattern. All right, reason number 14. Depreciation has already stabilized on those circuit editions. Here's where the numbers get interesting. I paid $44,289 for my circuit edition in 2023. Current market value after two years is still about $40,000. Now, that's based on what I've seen on Bring a Trailer and on Auto Trader. Now we all know the standard depreciation curve on a new car is significant in years one through three. But the GR Corolla Circuit Edition, it hasn't followed that trend. That limited production and the manual-only ownership filter have put a natural floor under used car pricing on the circuit edition. Now, there's no use me quoting uh specific uh current prices because they move all over the place. But you know what? You do your own research on circuit edition listings right now and compare them to what they sold for brand new. The gap is smaller than you think. That's the market telling you something. Listen to it. Reason number 15, you can buy one right now below MSRP. And here's the one I want you to sit with right now. Today, if you're patient and you're willing to search, you can find a 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Condition in absolutely excellent condition below MSRP in the used market. The dealer markup era for these cars is gone, and you won't need to wait a year to get a GR Corolla Circuit Edition like I did. If you're buying now, you've got way more negotiating power than I did a couple years ago. The GRERS RLA showed us where this is going. The window on the GR Circuit Edition is open, but windows don't stay open forever. Now I'm not going to tell you to buy a car as a financial investment. But here's the bottom line. When I look at the combination of homologation special DNA, manual-only scarcity, legitimate motorsport heritage, limited production, a shrinking hot hatch category, and a manufacturer that's actively building a performance legacy. And I can still buy that combination for about $40,000? Yeah, that's a compelling case, believe me. And it's a Toyota, which means the examples that exist today are going to survive to become collected. Now here's the question I want you to answer in the comments. Do you think the GR Corolla Circuit Edition will become a genuine collector car in 10 years, 20 years, or what do you think? Or do you think I'm wrong about this altogether? I read every comment, I've said that before, and I mean it every time. The conversations down there are some of the best on the platform. Now, if you want the full real ownership numbers, what this car actually costs per mile, what the service intervals look like, what I got wrong when I bought mine, I've got all of that in a separate video linked right over here. There's no estimates, no guesses, actual dollars, and I'll see you there.