Toyota's next World Rally Championship contender has been photographed testing on rally stages near Tarragona in Spain, giving the clearest view yet of a two-door coupe prototype that is widely expected to bring the Celica nameplate back to top-level rallying. The car, developed by Gazoo Racing, is set to replace the GR Yaris Rally1 from the 2027 season.
The prototype was driven by WRC driver Ott Tänak, who parked it close to fans and photographers, allowing a detailed look at its exterior. It wears Gazoo Racing's signature red, black, grey and white camouflage wrap, but the bodywork beneath reveals a redesigned shape that retains the proportions of the earlier test car first seen in Portugal in February 2026.
Up front, the rally machine features aggressive headlights similar to those of the current EU-spec Corolla sedan, a prominent hood scoop mounted directly above the grille, extra vents and creases on the bonnet, and a large cooling intake in the front bumper. The profile is defined by a two-door coupe silhouette with wide fender extensions, thick side skirts and intakes beneath the rear quarter windows. At the rear, a fastback tail carries a fixed wing mounted on an integrated spoiler, while the taillights appear to be linked by a full-width trim piece above a sculpted bumper with a single central exhaust pipe.
Toyota has not confirmed the name of the car, but its two-door coupe bodystyle and the timing of its launch point strongly towards the return of the Celica. The company has history with the badge in the WRC, having won two manufacturers' titles and four drivers' titles with previous Celica iterations, making a revival a logical marketing move as well as a sporting one.
The rally car and the roadgoing model may share a name and some styling cues, but they will be fundamentally different machines. Under the new WRC regulations, all manufacturers must use a common tubular spaceframe chassis and turbocharged 1.6-litre engines. The roadgoing Celica, by contrast, is expected to ride on a TNGA chassis with Toyota's new turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and a rally-bred all-wheel-drive system.
That divergence means the WRC prototype's wild aero and dedicated competition chassis have probably altered its proportions significantly compared with the showroom car. Even so, the test car offers useful hints about the design direction of the reborn Celica, which is expected to be previewed by a near-production concept in early or mid-2027.
Gazoo Racing is continuing its development programme ahead of the 2027 WRC season, and a formal unveiling of the rally car is anticipated in the near future. For now, the Spanish test confirms that Toyota is pressing ahead with a coupe-shaped replacement for its dominant GR Yaris Rally1, a car that has set the benchmark in the sport's top category.
The sighting also underlines how seriously Toyota is treating the next era of WRC regulations. The switch to a common spaceframe and 1.6-litre turbo power is intended to lower costs and widen the grid, and Toyota's decision to build a new coupe body around those rules suggests it sees the category as central to its performance brand. The Celica name carries decades of rally heritage, and its potential return would give Gazoo Racing a model with instant recognition among enthusiasts.
For buyers, the more significant development may be the road car. A turbocharged 2.0-litre engine and all-wheel drive would place the new Celica in a different performance bracket from the GR Yaris and GR Corolla, and a concept preview in 2027 would set up a production launch later in the decade. Toyota has yet to confirm any of those details, but the direction of travel is becoming clear.