Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is honored to present the next chapter of its Boat Tail coachbuilt commission—one of just three that have been, and ever will be, made.
The essence of Rolls-Royce Coachbuild is that each commission tells a story entirely unique and personal to its owner, reflecting their own history, tastes and sensibilities. With this in mind, Boat Tail, revealed at Concorso d’Eleganza, Villa d’Este 2022, on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, is a masterwork of restraint, sophistication, elegance and attention to detail.
Boat Tail is entirely hand-built, with the body panels fashioned from vast, single sheets of aluminum to create the distinctive outline inspired by the racing yachts of the early 20th century. In every respect, this remarkable motor car is entirely unique.
This Boat Tail design was commissioned by a patron whose family business has grown from his father’s origins in the pearling industry. Widely traveled, internationally educated and cosmopolitan in his tastes and influences, the client is an established patron of the arts, who additionally owns a sizable collection of classic and modern cars, housed in a dedicated private museum.
The foundation of the color is a shimmering blend of oyster and soft rose, with large white and bronze mica flakes adding a unique pearlescent quality that changes subtly under different light conditions. The contrasting cognac-colored bonnet, created specifically for this Boat Tail, contains fine bronze and gold colored aluminum mica flakes complete with a layer of crystal and iced matte clear coat, adding significant warmth and depth to the car’s appearance. The technical fiber lower sills of Boat Tail incorporate a rose gold woven thread.
The rear deck, which houses Boat Tail’s unique ‘butterfly-design’ hosting suite, is swathed in Royal Walnut veneer, inlaid with rose gold-plated pinstripes with a satin-brushed finish to ensure a sensitive and sophisticated appearance. The Royal Walnut was specifically selected by the client for its beautiful properties as it matures over time, a material that will gradually transition to the tonal properties of the cognac color. From above, one observes a harmonious balance and satin effect of the iced bonnet and tactile wooden rear deck, in contrast with the high-gloss front and side perspectives.
From the front, the Pantheon Grille, milled from a single, solid billet of aluminum, is graced with a Spirit of Ecstasy fashioned in rose gold.
The interior is a beautifully curated combination of perfectly matched cognac and oyster-colored leathers and Royal Walnut veneer, with rose gold and mother-of-pearl accents throughout. The leathers, complete with a pearlescent finish, accentuate the surfaces and forms of Boat Tail’s seats and interior design. The transmission tunnel is formed from Royal Walnut veneer with rose gold pinstripes, drawing a direct visual reference to the rear deck and adding a glowing warmth to Boat Tail’s interior.
The centerpiece of the dashboard is a timepiece made from mother-of-pearl, chosen and supplied by the client from his own collection; the fascia of which is pure and minimal in its appearance so as not to detract from the precious material. The same prized substance graces the control switches and instrument dials, creating a strong visual and material connection between the car, the owner, and his family heritage.
The very first iteration of the Rolls-Royce Starlight Headliner was developed in 2006. Equipped with 800 stars, the innovation was in response to who requested a sift dispersed lighting environment in his Rolls-Royce Phantom due to a sensitivity to light. The Bespoke Collective of designers, engineers, and craftspeople worked relentlessly to develop this technology, extending it to the entire length of the roof and varying the intensity of light emitted by each star to reflect the night sky.
Each star is lit by a single strand of fiber optic cable, hand threaded and cut at a unique angle, and lit by up to six powerful compact light canons. The constellation of each Starlight Headliner can be unique to the owner representing an important point in the timeline of their personal story. The typical headliner takes nine hours to craft, but a personalized pattern needs its own template, which can take as long as a week to complete. Two Rolls-Royce craftspeople work in tandem with this extraordinary feature. It’s the perfect marriage of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary technology.
First, the leather is perforated with 1,400 to 1,600 holes, each carefully counted. Fiber optic threads, which are hand-trimmed at different angles to achieve a twinkling effect, are set into these holes by hand. The craftsperson then ensures that the fibers are perfectly seated on the visible leather surface.
The Starlight Headliner can take on any personalized aesthetic, depicting constellations exactly as they were on any day in modern history. The work of art can feature Bespoke colours, graphics, shooting stars, and even illuminated wood veneer. One owner requested that the lights be configured in the shape of his coat of arms, and another asked for the configuration to represent the Ursa Major and Minor constellations. While for another customer, the Rolls-Royce monogram was created to illuminate separately from the rest of the stars.
The Bespoke designers were once posed with the query: ‘Could all this be accomplished by a robot? Probably, but it’s not. Instead, Rolls-Royce hires detail-obsessed individuals from specialty areas, including textile and technology. The result is a different take on heavenly creationism that’s always unique and personal.”
“Phantom occupies an unrivalled position at the very apex of the luxury world. As our pinnacle product, it represents the very best of Rolls-Royce design, engineering and craftsmanship – a perfect blend of vision, creativity, the finest materials, skill, patience and precision. With Phantom Series II, we have retained and carefully protected everything our clients’ love about this superlative and luxurious item; subtle, yet meaningful enhancements reflect their evolving tastes and requirements.
“Phantom has always been viewed as the ‘best car in the world’: our Bespoke capabilities mean that, for our clients, it can be the best car for their world, too.”
Rolls-Royce products enjoy an expansive lifetime, ultimately becoming timeless expressions of good taste, beauty and luxurious perfection. Phantom occupies a unique, pinnacle position in this regard, being revered for its timeless elegance.
The eighth-generation of Phantom was presented in 2017. In creating the new expression, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers have been guided by the requests of clients, who have implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, it is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.
A NEW EXPRESSION
The most obvious and important feature to be retained is Phantom’s commanding presence, enhanced by a new polished horizontal line between the daytime running lights above the Pantheon Grille.
A subtle geometric change to the Pantheon Grille makes the ‘RR’ Badge of Honour and Spirit of Ecstasy mascot more prominent
The grille itself is now illuminated, a feature debuted and popularised in Ghost.
The headlights are graced with intricate laser-cut bezel starlights, creating a visual connection with the Starlight Headliner inside.
The silhouette preserves the elegant key lines running from the Spirit of Ecstasy to the tapering rear tail.
The side profile is enhanced with a suite of new wheels. A 3D, milled, stainless steel wheel with triangular facets, a truly elegant disc wheel, recalling the romance of 1920’s Rolls-Royce motor cars produced in both polished stainless steel and black lacquer
Phantom’s sumptuous interior remains almost unaltered: the steering wheel has been made slightly thicker, providing a more connected and immediate point of contact for the owner-driver.
Phantom attracts an elite stratum of clients. Phantom attracts the most ambitious and challenging Bespoke commissions ever undertaken by Rolls-Royce.
There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Phantom client. Spanning the ‘poles of luxury’, they may be ever-younger or older, modern or traditional, self-made or from long-established wealth.
Their commissions reflect a full spectrum of interests and influences.
The eighth-generation Phantom has been designed to offer a ‘blank canvas’ for Bespoke personalisation.
“The subtle changes we have made for the new Phantom Series II have all been minutely considered and meticulously executed. As Sir Henry Royce himself said: ‘Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing’,” Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
PHANTOM PLATINO: THE RETURN OF FINE TEXTILES
To mark the introduction of Phantom Series II and to illustrate Rolls-Royce’s Bespoke capability, the marque has created a new Bespoke masterpiece, Phantom Platino, named after the silver-white finish of the coveted and precious metal, platinum.
Phantom Platino continues Rolls-Royce’s exploration into fabric interiors, a story which began in 2015 with the launch of Serenity, a truly Bespoke Phantom with a hand-painted, hand-embroidered silk interior.
Heralding the next step in this significant journey, Phantom Platino introduces materials other than leather, an area of exploration for Rolls-Royce and a move that demonstrates a greater acceptance of alternative interior upholsteries.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates the 118th anniversary of the historic first meeting between Henry Royce and The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls – which took place on 4 May 1904
The company they founded together created ‘the best car in the world’, a position still occupied today by the marque’s products
Phantom, Rolls-Royce’s pinnacle product, has continued to evolve technically, aesthetically and dynamically to maintain its pre-eminence in the Rolls-Royce offering, and in the world of luxury
The eighth generation of Phantom reflects Royce’s held conviction that “small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing”.
“As we reflect on Phantom’s remarkable heritage, I am struck by the unique place it occupies in the hearts and minds of our most demanding Rolls-Royce clients. Phantom is the beneficiary of the most ambitious forms of Rolls-Royce Bespoke, transforming into whatever our clients want it to be. Indeed, Phantom is not only the ‘best car in the world’, but the best car for them in their world.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars marks the 118th anniversary of the first meeting between its founders, Henry Royce and The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, England in 1904.
Through the combination of Royce’s engineering genius and Rolls’ talent for promotion, their company soon became recognised as the maker of ‘the best car in the world’ – a title that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars proudly retains more than a century later.
Today, the marque’s pinnacle product – Phantom – is the ultimate expression of Bespoke luxury designed and handmade at the Home of Rolls-Royce, Goodwood. As part of its annual reflections on its origins and unique heritage, Rolls-Royce looks back through Phantom’s lineage, exploring how its namesakes evolved over the years to remain consistently at the apex of the Rolls-Royce offering.
THE ORIGINS OF EXCELLENCE
In the automotive industry’s earliest days, luxury car makers produced only the mechanical components (engine, transmission, chassis and so on) known as a rolling chassis, which underpinned the car. The bodies were designed and constructed by independent coachbuilders to the customer’s specification.
For manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce, improvements in design and engineering were directed almost entirely towards technical aspects of the car’s performance. These included reliability, hill-climbing capability, ease of control and a set of ride quality attributes still known collectively as noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
From the outset, Phantom earned the title ‘the best car in the world’ through the superior quality and designs of the rolling chassis – the finest platform on which coachbuilders could reach the very apex of their craft.
REDRAWING TECHNICAL BOUNDARIES
The Phantom family was born in 1925 when Rolls-Royce launched Phantom I. With its massive low-range torque, cutting-edge technology and ‘Magic Carpet Ride’, the new model immediately established the fundamental traits that would define the family for the next 100 years. Then, as now, Rolls-Royce declined to rest on its laurels, and by 1929, its successor was ready for the market.
Phantom II represented another step-change in engineering and technology. In 1930, the company unveiled the Phantom II Continental, which gave customers a choice of a more performance-orientated model for those who preferred to drive themselves. The ‘standard’ longer-wheelbase car was retained for chauffeur-driven use. This practice set the precedent for today’s Phantom and Phantom Extended.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
While the new Continental could attain speeds up to 95mph, it was still not as fast as some of its rivals. The company decided to resolve the matter once and for all. In 1934, applying its proven experience with aero engines, it developed a new 7.3-litre V12 engine, mounted on a new chassis. The resulting Phantom III, when fitted with lightweight coachwork, was capable of exceeding 100mph.
In 1939, Rolls-Royce produced an experimental car, nicknamed ‘The Scalded Cat’. In later years, this car was often loaned to influential individuals, including HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke was so impressed that he persuaded Rolls-Royce to build him a more formal version; the marque obliged with the first Phantom IV, delivered in July 1950. The car remains on front-line (albeit reduced) duty at The Royal Mews, under its pre-delivery codename, Maharajah. Though originally intended as a one-off, 18 Phantom IV cars were completed: 17 were sumptuously appointed commissions for other royalty and heads of state; the other, somewhat bizarrely, was built as a pick-up truck for use by Rolls-Royce as transport and on-the-road component testing.
A FINAL FLOURISH
In 1959, the marque launched Phantom V, equipped with its most up-to-date V8 engine. In 1967, the car underwent subtle technical changes that were deemed, at the very last minute, sufficient to justify its redesignation as Phantom VI.
By 1968 the only true coachbuilder left in Britain was Rolls-Royce’s own in-house company, Mulliner Park Ward. These magnificent cars soldiered on through the mid-1980s, until production dwindled to a mere two or three cars a year, and finally ceased altogether in 1992.
BRINGING VISIONS TO LIFE
Every generation up to Phantom VI was essentially a rolling chassis. The bodies were built to the owner’s individual requirements by some of the most famous and prestigious names in British and European coachbuilding.
While this was normal practice in the luxury automotive world, Phantom stood apart through its ability – thanks to Royce’s engineering genius and the excellence of the chassis’ components and construction – to carry coachwork of the very finest quality, weight and complexity.
At every stage in Phantom’s development, owners exploited its potential to the full, creating some of the most magnificent, eye-catching and radical motor cars ever to grace the road. And since the chassis and body were separate, it was possible for a subsequent owner to change the car’s appearance to suit their own taste and requirements.
Many Phantoms took on more than one guise over their long, often globe-trotting lives: in some cases, they were merely repainted; in others, the whole car was rebuilt from the chassis upwards, taking on an entirely new form and character. And for all their extraordinary diversity, every one of the examples shown below is a true Rolls-Royce in terms of its underlying engineering, materials and construction, performance, ride quality and comfort – and, above all, in being exactly as the owner wanted it.
1930 Phantom II (62GY)
This handsome Phantom II was coachbuilt by Hooper of London with a Dual Cowl Tourer body. At the request of the owner, a wealthy timber merchant from Texas, 50 additions were specified with touring intentions. These include a larger fuel tank, louvered bonnet and radiator two inches taller than standard. The car was originally purchased for the owner’s honeymoon and went on to tour the Continent extensively until 1939. The present custodian acquired the car in 1998 and has since won prestigious awards including the Louis Vuitton Classic Parfums Givenchy Trophy pre-war tourers and Most Sporting Tourer in the Biarritz Concours.
1933 Phantom II Continental (55MW)
This ‘concealed-head boat body’ was a speciality of coachbuilder Park Ward. Its main feature was the compact folding hood that, when fully retracted, was entirely concealed under the rear deck, giving the coachwork its distinctive uninterrupted line. The original upholstery was textured pigskin.
Source: ‘Park Ward The Innovative Coachbuilder’ by Malcolm Tucker.
1933 Phantom Ill (3BT103)
This rare two-door sedanca coupé was coachbuilt by HJ Mulliner for Apsley Cherry-Garrard, one of the surviving members of Captain Scott’s last, fateful expedition to the South Pole in 1912. The car was originally finished in Primrose Yellow with a dyed Vaulmol leather interior; in the late 1940s it was repainted in black. The car was briefly owned by the legendary actor Sir Ralph Richardson; it then spent time in Wales and the USA before returning to the UK in the late 70s / early 80s. It sat neglected in a barn until 2018 when it was bought by its present owner, and has now been painstakingly restored using many authentic components, including original numbered engine parts.
Source: Alpine Eagle Ltd.
1937 Phantom III (3BT85)
London coachbuilder Hooper & Co built several bodies in this striking saloon-with-division style, which looks fast even when standing still thanks to its semi-razor edge styling and swooping curves. The art-deco chrome-plated flashes to the body and wings simply enhance the sense of kinetic energy.
Source: ‘The Spectre Arises’ by Steve Stuckey.
1965 Phantom V (5VD63)
This Phantom was originally owned by Wing Commander Patrick Barthropp. In 1968, John Lennon purchased the car from Barthropp coinciding with the launch of The Beatles’ White Album. In September 1969 he sold the car to Allen Klein, an American businessman.
The car appeared in the Oscar-winning film Georgy Girl (1966), the classic Let It Be (1970), starring The Beatles, Performance (1970), featuring Mick Jagger, and then prominently featured in The Greek Tycoon (1978) starring Anthony Quinn.
In 2016 after extensive restoration, Jody Klein, a longtime Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club member brought the car to the Concurs d’Elegance, Lincolnshire, where it was awarded first place for Best In Class.
James Young, established in 1863, is renowned for creating some of the most elegant coachwork to ever grace a motor car chassis. Perhaps the pinnacle of their achievements was realised in their PV23 design, developed especially for the Rolls-Royce Phantom V chassis, with 22 such bodies being built.
This model was usually finished in black, but for 5LVF65 the lighter shade of Ivory further enhances the classic elegance of every curve and line from the pen of its acclaimed designer, A. F. McNeil.
The interior contains a remarkably spacious rear compartment, with the finest cabinetry work below the division glass. Champagne cloth to the rear compartment is chosen for greater comfort than the similarly coloured and more resilient leather that the chauffeur would enjoy.
Source: P&A Wood.
2015 Phantom VII (Serenity Phantom)
Rolls-Royce created this magnificent Bespoke Phantom VII Extended for its display at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Inspired by opulent motor cars made for international royalty in the early 1900s, the rear passenger cabin is finished in a unique Smoke Green raw silk, specially handwoven and decorated with hand-embroidered and hand-painted Chinoiserie blossom motifs that took up to 600 hours to complete. The design also appears in the fascia and marquetry inlays in the rear doors; smoked cherrywood and bamboo elements, and details echoing the raked gravel in Japanese gardens complete the interior’s calm, natural ambiance. At the time, the Mother of Pearl exterior paint finish was the most complex – and expensive – the marque had ever produced.
2021 Phantom VIII (Phantom Oribe)
A unique collaboration saw the House of Rolls-Royce and the House of Hermès co-create a Bespoke Phantom for Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa. Named Phantom Oribe, the motor car features a Bespoke two-tone exterior finish, inspired by the client’s world-class collection of ancient Japanese ceramics, Oribe ware. In an unusual move, the Rolls-Royce paint was made available for use on the client’s private jet that the Phantom is paired with.
The interior is finished predominantly in Hermès Enea Green leather. The Gallery features an artwork based on a design by the celebrated French artist and illustrator Pierre Péron (1905–1988), who created many of Hermès’ iconic scarves.
AN ICON REBORN
At one minute past midnight, on 1 January 2003, the first Phantom VII was handed over to its new owner – the first motor car to be produced at the brand-new Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex, England. A thoroughly modern interpretation of the marque’s signature lines and proportions, as first set down by Sir Henry Royce himself, it was built entirely in-house by Rolls-Royce, with monocoque bodywork to a standard design rather than coachbuilt. In one important sense, however, it retained a link with its heritage, in that every car was hand-built by a team of skilled craftspeople. Furthermore, the marque’s Bespoke programme meant Phantom was effectively a canvas upon which patrons could realise their own visions and desires.
Over its 13-year lifespan, Phantom VII cemented Rolls-Royce as the world’s pre-eminent superluxury motor manufacturer, and its own place as the marque’s pinnacle product. But just like their predecessors, Rolls-Royce’s designers and engineers understood that perfection is a moving target: that Phantom was never ‘done.’
In 2016, Rolls-Royce presented Phantom VIII. This was the first Rolls-Royce to be built on the marque’s proprietary Architecture of Luxury, an all-aluminium spaceframe designed to underpin every future motor car produced at Goodwood.
Phantom VIII was specifically designed to be the ultimate platform for Bespoke commissions. This has resulted in some of the most technically ambitious and challenging projects ever undertaken by the marque’s designers, engineers and specialist craftspeople. It is also the only Rolls-Royce model to feature the Gallery – an uninterrupted swathe of glass that runs the full width of the fascia, behind which the client can display a commissioned work of art or design.
Today, Polestar Manhattan invited us to preview their Precept, exhibiting design, technology and sustainability.
“America’s newest MVP of the EV game, breaking records and necks!” – 360
Polestar revealed the Precept in February 2020 as a declaration of intent. Showcasing the future direction of Polestar’s design, sustainability and technology, the concept makes a strong statement about the brand’s intent. In October 2020, Polestar confirmed that the Precept will be put into production in the future. Polestar is documenting this journey in a YouTube series, “Precept: from concept to car.” In November 2021, Polestar confirmed that the production version of Precept will be known as Polestar 5.
Polestar continues to believe in collaborating with experts to accelerate development and provide customers with the best available technologies. Precept’s interior is defined by sustainability and offered an opportunity to work with new materials and processes. Similarly, the evolution of the HMI builds on current partnerships which maximise the integration of expertise.
Sustainable new interior materials balance modern high-tech luxury with reduced environmental impact. These sustainable materials include recycled PET bottles, reclaimed fishing nets and recycled cork vinyl. A flax-based composite developed by external partner Bcomp Ltd is featured in many interior and some exterior parts. Polestar’s ambition is to bring much of this sustainability into production.
The next generation HMI, powered by Android, builds on Polestar’s close collaboration with Google. An enlarged, portrait-oriented 15-inch centre touch screen complements a 12.5-inch driver display, and the two are linked by an illuminated blade that encompasses the entire interior. In this execution, the unique Polestar emblem floats holographically inside a solid piece of Swedish crystal between the rear seat headrests.
Supporting the advancement of a personalised and dynamic digital interface, the instrument panel also hosts an array of smart sensors. Eye tracking will allow the car to monitor the driver’s gaze and adjust the content of the various screens accordingly. Proximity sensors also enhance the usability of the centre display when driving.
The sculpted form of the Polestar Precept sets the tone for future Polestar vehicles. The vehicle’s proportions define its presence with restrained surfacing and a focus on aerodynamic efficiency.
The front grille is replaced by the Polestar SmartZone, representing a shift from breathing to seeing. An area which once channelled air to radiators and the internal combustion engine now houses technology for safety sensors and driver assistance functions. Purposefully gathered behind a transparent panel dedicated to intelligent hardware are two radar sensors and a high definition camera. The LiDAR pod, mounted atop the glass roof, is given optimal visibility as a next step towards increased driving assistance. The Thor’s Hammer LED headlight signature evolves with separated elements, taking on a dynamic, more robotic and brand-defining interpretation.
Precept features an integrated front wing above the SmartZone which accelerates air flow over the long bonnet. This allows air to attach itself to the surface earlier, which improves aerodynamic efficiency and thus improves the vehicle’s range. At the rear, the wide light-blade spans the entire width of the car, extending into vertical aero-wings – another aerodynamic feature and a nod to light-weight design.
With product development now underway, Polestar has confirmed it will produce Precept in China, where a new production facility will be established. The aim is to ensure the facility will be climate neutral and one of the most intelligent and connected automotive production facilities in the world.
Now officially open to the public, it represents one of 20 Polestar Spaces in a rapidly growing nationwide network. Polestar Manhattan is located in vibrant Lincoln Square and offers customers a captivating retail experience where they can learn about the brand and vehicle lineup.
“New York City is an iconic city with deep roots in design, sustainability and engineering, and opening a Polestar Space in this location will allow us to showcase the superior driving experience and high-tech minimalism that defines and differentiates Polestar,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar. “As we continue to redefine luxury for the sustainable age, Polestar Manhattan will serve as the brand’s retail home in New York City. Polestar plans to launch and showcase three new models by 2024, and I cannot wait to see them in this location.”
Gregor Hembrough, Head of Polestar in North America, adds: “It was critical that we establish a foothold in one of the most significant and important markets in the U.S., New York. In partnership with Manhattan Motor Cars, this new showroom will allow us to reach customers throughout the New York metro area.”
The Polestar Space is staffed by Polestar Specialists who are well trained to answer questions, assist with the digital ordering process, and coordinate test drives of the brand’s all-electric Polestar 2 model range, which includes two different configurations.
• GR Supra evolves again with a new manual transmission (MT) option
• MT available on GR Supra 3.0, 3.0 Premium and a limited A91-MT Edition model
• A91-MT Edition limited to 500 units for the U.S. Market, comes in two exclusive exterior colors with a unique Cognac leather trimmed interior
• Refined handling across all GR Supra 3.0 models with new steering and suspension tuning and new Hairpin+ function
• New premium 12-speaker JBL Audio system standard on all 3.0 Premium and A91-MT models
• Complimentary 1-year membership to the National Auto Sport Association, featuring a High-Performance Driving Event with expert
From the moment of its launch in 2019 the GR Supra captured the spirit of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – one that’s all about the joy of driving. For 2023, it adds one more dynamic element: a six-speed intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT). For drivers who love the control and rewards offered by precisely timed manual shifts, it might be the Supra they’ve been waiting for.
True to the GR Supra’s thoroughbred engineering quality, this development wasn’t simply a matter of using an off-the-shelf solution. Engineers developed a manual transmission specifically for GR Supra, with components designed specifically to suit the power and torque characteristics of its 3.0-litre 382 horsepower engine. At the same time, the GR Supra’s braking control systems and suspension have been retuned for even better performance – changes that are being introduced throughout the model range. The manual transmission will be available as an option on the Supra 3.0 and 3.0 Premium and a limited A91-MT Edition model will also be produced for model year 2023 only. Available colors for the MT 3.0 and 3.0 Premium will include all standard Supra colors plus a new Stratosphere Blue color, which will also be available on Supra 2.0. The A91-MT Edition will be available in Matte White and CU Later Gray. Pricing for 2023 GR Supra MT versions will be announced later this summer and models will be available at Toyota dealerships later this year.
Manual Transmission Designed for Supra Power Available on the 3.0, 3.0 Premium and a limited A91-MT Edition model. The manual transmission installed in the GR Supra has been engineered and tuned specifically for use with the coupe’s straight-six engine. The engineering team modified an existing transmission housing, driveshaft and gear set and removed elements that were not required, such as the acoustic package, which reduced weight. At the heart of the transmission is a newly engineered large diameter clutch with a reinforced diaphragm spring. With a larger friction area and a stronger spring, this new component has the high-performance capability appropriate for use with the GR Supra’s high-torque engine. The newly developed 6-speed manual gearbox also features an Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) programmed with new software that prioritizes sporty performance. When upshifting, the parameters are tuned to optimize engine torque at the moment of clutch engagement and release; on downshifts, the software has been fine-tuned for consistent performance. The iMT is set as the default but, if the driver prefers, it can be switched off in Sport mode. To avoid a sluggish take-off and a low in-gear acceleration feel, the final drive ratio has been shortened, from 3.15 (in the GR Supra automatic) to 3.46 (in the GR Supra MT). The result is response and gearing appropriate for sports car performance. Close attention was also paid to how a manual shifter could be accommodated in the driver’s cockpit. The lever ratio was specifically set to minimize the effort required to make shifts and engage reverse gear. While the weight and shape of the 200g gear knob, along with the quality of shift engagement, have all been precisely defined. Ergonomics were also top-ofmind, as the console unit and position of the drive mode selector were adjusted to provide a 1.7-inch clearance between the shift knob and the control panel.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing:#savethemanual
The GR Supra was Toyota’s first global GAZOO Racing (GR) model and the dream of Toyota President Akio Toyoda to deliver a car that is purely about the joy of driving. Subsequently, the introduction of global models, like the GR Yaris and last year’s arrival of the GR86 coupe, have reinforced the special qualities that define the GR brand – cars that are born out of a passion for driving and draw directly on the world championship-winning expertise and experience of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. At launch, the 2020 GR Supra was offered with a straight-six 3.0-litre engine with 335 hp/365 lb.-ft. of torque matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. In 2021, the GR team increased the 3.0 Supra to 382 hp and 367 lb.-ft. of torque and introduced a turbocharged four-cylinder GR Supra 2.0 with 255 horsepower and a stout 295 lb.-ft. of torque. While the car and its performance have received high praise worldwide from media and fans alike, perhaps inevitably the question of whether a manual gearbox would be available persisted. Now that it’s official, the addition of a manual transmission option to the Supra line-up means Toyota will offer all three of its U.S. GR models with a stick, which is standard on the upcoming GR Corolla and available as an option on GR86.
Tuned for Traction, Stability, and Agility The GR Supra’s traction and braking have been optimized for operation with a manual transmission. With an automatic, it’s possible to use second gear when pulling away uphill when opposite wheels are on surfaces with different grip levels – for example, when the car is parked on partly icy road, progress is smooth with no rolling back or wheel slip. With a manual gearbox, first gear must be used and releasing the clutch brings a greater risk of wheel spin. To address the issue, Toyota engineers have tuned the car’s TRAction Control (TRAC) system to achieve smooth operation like that experienced with an automatic. The system is also optimized for the GR Supra’s characteristic high engine torque, wide tires and rear-wheel drive. The car’s behavior when accelerating out of a corner is a key element in the “Fun to Drive” quality Toyota has developed for the GR Supra. For the new manual version, the traction control has again been the focus to ensure an ideal balance of agility and stability when exiting a corner on the throttle. TRAC intervention has been calibrated to maintain stability – so the car keeps faithfully to the driver’s intended line – while allowing the right amount of power for a sporty experience.
The ambition to make the GR Supra fun to drive in the most demanding scenarios has helped inspire the introduction of a new Hairpin+ function. This is designed to allow more freedom and reward when taking tight bends on an uphill gradient (more than 5%) with a high-friction road surface. More “freewheel” spin can make such routes more enjoyable to drive, so Toyota has optimized engine torque control to allow a greater difference in the degree of wheel spin on the left and right-side tires. To counter the possibility of “snap-off” oversteer – something that may be hard to control with the car’s Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) alone – an Anti-Roll Program (ARP) has been adopted for both the manual and automatic versions of the GR Supra. This intervenes at an earlier point with the VSC to cover any sudden loss of grip when the car’s high-response suspension setting it used. In addition, the Track mode has been tuned to allow for easy drifting with freedom of throttle control. The vehicle remains agile, but there is less risk of spinning thanks to specific engine and torque control. Special Edition and Updates Across the Lineup The A91-MT special edition will be a 500 unit limited-run model that comes equipped with exclusive Cognac leather-trimmed seats, GR logoed Alcantara shift knob and a 12-speaker acoustically tuned premium JBL sound system. On the outside, a red “Supra” Badge and red GR Supra emblazoned calipers punctuate its extreme, condensed design. It will be offered in two exclusive colors, Matte White and CU Later Gray, and comes equipped with unique forged 19-inch Frozen Gunmetal Gray wheels. Under the hood, red strut tower braces add one more accent to the already bold Supra. All 2023 GR Supra 3.0 models, both AT and MT versions, will benefit from a retuned suspension with re-tuned shock absorbers for improved roll balance and ride comfort. The mechanical components in the electric power steering and the system’s operating parameters have also been re-tuned. All 3.0 models will have an active rear sport differential standard. The 3.0 MT will come equipped with new 19-inch forged aluminum wheels and be available in previously available standard and premium colors plus the new Stratosphere Blue color. On the inside heated, black leather-trimmed seats are now standard. The 3.0 Premium has everything you’ll find on the 3.0, plus a red and black leather-trimmed interior, full color heads up display, acoustically tuned 12-speaker JBL sound system and Qi Wireless charger standard.
Supra Connect1 is also available. This advanced technology suite is designed to help you get more from your GR Supra 2.0 and 3.0 with Safety and Technology Package, 3.0 Premium and A91-MT Edition and includes features like Automatic Emergency Call, Real-Time Traffic Information, Roadside Assistance and the available Supra Connect iPhone® app to lock/unlock the doors and activate Ventilation Now and Ventilation Timer features.
McLaren Racing and Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE), a leading global provider of data, technology, and market infrastructure, today announced the launch of a multi-year partnership as ICE becomes an Official Partner of the McLaren MX Extreme E Team. The partnership takes further shape today in front of the New York Stock Exchange, the iconic American institution, and an ICE exchange.
To launch the partnership that links two brands driven by data and technology, the Number 58 McLaren Extreme E race car will appear outside the NYSE on the morning of Tuesday 12 April. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, McLaren MX Extreme E Driver Tanner Foust, and McLaren Racing Senior Principal Race Engineer Leena Gade will also be participating in a news conference and other activities at the Exchange, including the ringing of the iconic NYSE Closing Bell.
The Extreme E car will sit just feet away from the revered Fearless Girl statue, installed in New York City ahead of International Women’s Day in 2017. Representing the role of women in leadership, the statue mirrors the values of the Extreme E race series which mandates male and female driver line-ups, as well as McLaren’s and ICE’s commitment to accelerating diversity, equality, and inclusion.
ICE’s partnership with the McLaren MX Extreme E team is the next chapter in a growing relationship in which Zak Brown is current ly appearing in an ICE advertising campaign, “Make the Connection,” focusing on using data as a competitive advantage.
From the 2022 Extreme E season, ICE’s logo will be represented on the chassis side and roof of the McLaren MX Extreme E car, and on the racing overalls and helmets of Tanner and his team-mate Emma Gilmour, starting with the recent race in Saudi Arabia.
Zak Brown, CEO, Mclaren Racing, said:
“Partnering with a leading global name in financial markets like ICE is a fantastic moment for McLaren Racing. Like us, ICE targets authentic brand engagement driven by data and technology, and we look forward to joining them at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate this new partnership.”
“ICE aligns with our commitment to sustainability, including DE&I. This makes Extreme E a perfect platform to carry our partnership and raise awareness of the impact of climate change, while promoting a more level playing field for gender equality.”
Jeff Sprecher, Founder, Chair and CEO, ICE, said:
“I’ve been a fan of Zak Brown and McLaren Racing for years, and our team could not be more excited about becoming an Official Partner of the McLaren Extreme E Team.”
“ICE and McLaren are both driven by the use of data and technology to create competitive advantage. We look forward to collaborating with McLaren Racing, not only to make an impact in the thrilling all-electric Extreme E championsh ip, but also to join the leadership effort in the development of sustainable technology.”
McLaren Racing and Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) team up as ICE was announced an Official Partner of the McLaren MX Extreme E Team. To debut their brand-new partnership, McLaren officials took part in a news conference at the Exchange, and the Number 58 McLaren Extreme E race car sat outside while the professionals talked all things McLaren x ICE.
Vaughn talked all things McLaren sustainability, diversity and female empowerment with Leena Gade, McLaren Racing’s Senior Principal Race Engineer.
Leena raved about the importance of McLaren and ICE sharing beliefs regarding approaching work in a green way while also encouraging diversification in the workplace. Working in the spaces of engineering and racing that are conventionally white male dominated, Leena stressed the importance of representation within the field.
As a daughter of immigrant parents, Leena’s family moved to the UK from India to build a new life for Leena and her sister. Driven to build a successful life full of opportunities for their children, Leena’s parents story resembles that of one that a surplus of Indian families goes through. Leena emphasized this, while placing emphasis on how they encouraged hard work and dedication to achieve their ambitions.
“Anyone can do this,” she stated, and continued about how it’s important for everyone to have someone to look up to that looks like them. She remembered as a child how all the racers she looked up to were white men, creating conversations about range in the field. These factors are exactly why the partnership between McLaren and ICE is one that she got behind.
Preserving the Earth, too, is another associated value that the two corporations believe in. Leena spoke on how its vital that McLaren aligned themselves with another entity that took climate issues as seriously as they did. It’s vital that our society considers the significance of the modern climate, and that there’s no reason for the crisis to become so intense.
Vaughn also had the chance to sit down with Tanner Foust, one of McLaren’s EX Extreme E Drivers. They chatted about how Tanner delved into the field of racing from starting out as a bio major, how Extreme E driving differentiates from the norm of racing and the continuing inclusivity of McLaren.
With a 25-year career as a racer, it might shock you that Tanner had early dreams of becoming a doctor. Attending University of Colorado majoring in biology, Tanner was always interested in racing, but didn’t quite know how to get his start in the field. Taking on a job with an inventor that made amusement park rides, he found inspiration in his boss that went after his aspirations and lived life each day not feeling like he was “working.”
Deciding to get a job as a mechanic for a local Colorado racing team, Tanner found his start into the world of racing. He then worked his way up and learned how to turn this passion into a profitable job. This has to be his number one piece of advice for anyone aspiring to dive into their dream career; obtain a job that is close to the one that you want, and slowly work your way to that goal.
When asked the question of what his biggest accomplishment with racing had to be, Tanner recalled the first time that he was able to make a livable income from racing. Turning this passion into a fully fledged career was a massive achievement for Tanner, and he aims to give younger people guidance to also become a professional driver.
Now fully immersed in the field of racing, Tanner finds McLaren racing to be unlike any racing he’d previously taken part in. Extreme E approaches racing in a different light with fast sprints and difficult racing terrains. He accredits McLaren to challenging what he thought he was previously capable of and opening him up to a brand-new realm of racing.
Like Leena, Tanner spoke to the great advancements that McLaren has been making towards a more sustainable and inclusive approach. Motorsport is evolving to become more gender and carbon neutral, which is something that Tanner advocates for fully. The extraordinary team working behind the scenes day in and out continues to advance the space of motorsport.
It’s official, the powerful, stylish, and agile hot hatch U.S. drivers are looking for is on its way, the first-ever 2023 GR Corolla. With the detail-obsessed TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team at the helm, and master driver Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Morizo, signing off on approval, this all new addition to Toyota’s growing lineup of sports cars brings the performance, handling, and functionality that hot hatch fans love.
Powered by the lightweight, compact-yet-powerful G16E-GTS turbo charged, direct/port injected three-cylinder engine, GR Corolla delivers 300 hp and 273 lb.- ft. of torque. Engineered for snappy acceleration out of the corners, output hits peak torque at 3000-5500 rpm, with max horsepower coming at 6500 rpm. It’s thrill inducing power is piped through a unique triple exhaust that’s designed to reduce back-pressure for maximum power delivery.
The G16-E engine is paired with Toyota’s rally developed GR-Four All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) drivetrain. This system gives drivers a choice of 60-40, 50-50, or 30-70 power distribution to the front and rear wheels. GR Corolla will be offered exclusively in a manual transmission, staying true to its hands-on rally racing roots.
Its broad hatch profile and low center of gravity are built on Toyota’s GA-C platform, with enhanced frame reinforcements developed specifically for GR Corolla at GR Factory at Toyota Motomachi plant. Functional exterior air vents and aerodynamic features further support steering stability.
GR Corolla will come in two grades, Core and Circuit Edition.
The Core Grade will be available later this year in white, black, and Supersonic Red. It will have a color keyed roof with rear lip spoiler, GR-Four stamped side rockers, and wide-fender flares. On the inside, seating for five will come with GR logoed fabric sport seats.
The Circuit Edition will be a limited-run model available in 2023. Standard colors are white, Supersonic Red and Heavy Metal with the same GR-Four stamped side rockers and wide fenders as the Core. It adds a forged carbon fiber roof, vented bulge hood, and a sporty rear spoiler, Brin Naub® suede-trimmed sport seats with red accents, and a launch-year-exclusive Morizo signed shift knob.
Both grades will come equipped with an all new Toyota Multi-Media System with touchscreen. Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) system will also come standard.
Pricing will be announced later this year.
Race Inspired Engineering
In 2007, Akio Toyoda wanted to expand the company’s use of racing in its car development activities. As a starting point, he chose to compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the grueling endurance race held on the famous track winding through the German forest. It was an unofficial Toyota activity at the time, so the team was called GAZOO Racing and was made up of employees, including Akio Toyoda driving under the alias of Morizo.
With a limited budget, the newly-named team entered the race with two secondhand Altezzas. Despite adversity, both cars finished the challenging race, and a new era of Toyota motorsports and product development, one founded on a spirit of challenge aimed at instigating change, began.
As TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s first wholly developed and manufactured model for the North American market, the GR Corolla carries this spirit forward.
With professional drivers, experts, and Morizo at the wheel, GR Corolla was tested repeatedly at some of Japan’s leading circuits, including Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and Tsukuba Circuit. In addition, the GR team carried out heavy duty dirt and snow driving with a Japanese Rally Championship driver. No road was left unturned in the process, so engineers and technicians could sharpen acceleration and control worthy of the GR name.
GR Factory
To help meet the performance goals for the GR Corolla, Toyota has established a dedicated GR Factory at its production facility in Motomachi, Japan. It’s the birthplace of legends such as the Lexus LFA and Supra A80 and is now home to the first GR production line, where GR Corolla and GR Yaris are precision built.
Instead of the traditional conveyor system, the body and assembly lines comprise several different cells connected by automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) rather than the conveyors featured in conventional car plants. This fully flexible method of working, with many manual assembly techniques, enables precise body and suspension alignment, with variations in vehicle dimensions and weight kept to a minimum.
Being built by experts means that the assembly of each GR Corolla takes longer than a conventional mass-produced car. The production line has been streamlined for performance, with elements such as body alignment and weld checks to ensure that each GR Corolla is built with meticulous care and attention.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has brought together highly skilled technicians from throughout the company to work on the GR Corolla. This team not only assembles every GR Corolla but also contributes to the technical skills of workers at other Toyota facilities. It’s a team structure that’s part of the overall GR mission at Toyota, developing people, driving fans, and making ever better cars.
The GR-FOUR System
With all TOYOTA GAZOO Racing sports cars firmly rooted in motorsports, it only makes sense that the GR Corolla’s drivetrain was born from the rigors of rally racing.
At the heart of the new GR Corolla is the GR-FOUR All-Wheel-Drive system, Toyota’s first sports all-wheel-drive system in over 20 years. Developed in collaboration with the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team and honed by WRC drivers, it delivers exceptional levels of traction and control with engineering designed to optimize drive power to each wheel, while also being simple and lightweight.
Made for rally, the GR-Four system is designed for a variety of conditions. Whether the driver is looking to adjust performance for dirt, rain, or snow, or just in the mood for a different feel, the GR-Four system offers settings to match.
With the twist of a dial, GR Corolla can adjust four-wheel drive performance to fit the driver’s needs. For every-day situations, drivers can set a front/rear torque distribution of 60:40; for a more sport setting, balance can shift to the rear, with 30:70 distribution for a fun-to-drive quality on winding roads and circuits; and for maximum stability a 50:50 setting can be used for fast, competitive track driving on circuits or special stages. In each mode, the torque balance will automatically adjust in response to the driver’s inputs, vehicle behavior, and road or track conditions.
The GR Corolla Circuit Edition is also equipped with front and rear Torsen LimitedSlip Differentials (LSD) hich offer enhanced cornering performance and grip with control of left and right-hand drive torque distribution on the front and rear axles. Front and rear LSD is available as part of the Performance Package on the Core grade, with AWD open differentials standard.
Revolutionary 3-Cylinder Turbo Engine
For GR Corolla, we took the same turbocharged G16E-GTS powerplant used in the GR Yaris and boosted its output. This compact-yet-powerful three-cylinder engine has increased power for GR Corolla thanks to improved engine exhaust efficiency thanks to a 3-piece muffler with valve capped off with brushed stainless steel tips. This design reduces exhaust pressure and outside noise, which are essential to backpressure performance.
The G16E also benefits from motorsport technologies that maximize performance, including multi-oil jet piston cooling, large-diameter exhaust valves and a partmachined intake port. Displacing 1,618 cubic centimeters, it produces a maximum power of 300 hp and 273 pound-feet of torque.
Compact and lightweight, the DOHC 12-valve engine features a single-scroll ballbearing turbo that’s matched to a 6-speed intelligent manual transmission (iMT) with rev-matching engineered to accommodate high torque levels. The turbocharger is integrated in the exhaust manifold, reducing weight, while control of wastegate bypass gases is used to improve the catalyst’s warm-up efficiency. Combustion is fed by Toyota’s D-4S direct and port fuel injection system, which operates at high pressure for maximum fuel dispersion and efficiency.
Wide, Rigid, and Designed to Handle
To achieve control worthy of the GR badge, a highly rigid body was specially constructed for GR Corolla. Based off the GA-C platform, it produced handling performance that rewards the driver. Enhanced rigidity comes from significantly more weld points in the frame, particularly to strengthen joints. Further gains are made through extensive use of structural adhesive, increasing the joint rigidity between component parts.
The front suspension is a MacPherson-type strut design that offers both light weight and firm handling, maximizing the tires’ grip potential. Made up of circuittuned coil springs, shock absorbers, and stabilizer bars, the front suspension is designed to deliver all the engine’s power to the road and provide optimum cornering capability on all surfaces. The rear suspension uses a double-wishbone type multilink system that accommodates the AWD system’s goal of maximum agility and stability.
Wide tread tires ensure high cornering performance while maintaining the excellent high speed stability of the GR Corolla’s 103.9-inch long wheelbase. It wears Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires 235/40R18 on the both grades and comes equipped with 18-in. gloss-black 15-spoke cast alloy wheels on the grades.
Braking power comes from opposed, fixed-caliper disc brakes with 14 x 1.1-inch ventilated and slotted rotors outfitted with 4-piston aluminum calipers on both grades, the Circuit Edition caliper is red painted with GR logo. At the rear, 11.7-in. x 0.7-in. ventilated rotors with 2-piston aluminum fixed-caliper disc brakes with redpainted calipers and GR logo are standard on the Circuit Edition.
Lightweight and Aerodynamic
Throughout the GR Corolla there has been a focus on saving weight to maximize the performance potential, without compromising strength and safety. This rigorous approach is particularly evident in the car’s construction, with extensive use of lightweight metals and materials used in key areas.
On the Circuit Edition, the roof is made of a forged (rather than woven) carbon sheet molding compound. This lightweight, highly rigid material keeps off the ounces that steel roof would bring and helps lower the car’s center of gravity. Aluminum is used for the hood and front door panels, with light and strong hightensile steel in critical areas to ensure the car’s structure can safely absorb and dissipate impact forces.
For the best possible aerodynamic performance, GR Corolla’s nose ascends to a tapering roof line. Wind flow is directed onto the rear spoiler to generate extra downforce. As with rally cars, the shaping of the front and rear canards and GRFour stamped lower rockers efficiently channel airflow down the sides of the vehicle. Hood, fender, and rear bumper ducts, and a flat underfloor reduce drag, add downforce, and improve stability.
Rally Ready Hot Hatch Style
The wide stance and broad hatch exterior design of GR Corolla projects a strong, attack ready style with its black GR badged functional matrix grill. Flanked by functional air ducts on both sides, the front grille on the Circuit Grade comes in gloss-black and features integrated LED fog lamps. Auto on/off LED headlamps and LED DRLs are standard on both grades.
Both grades feature wide front and rear fender-flares. The Circuit Edition features a bulge hood with functional gloss-black air ducts. The Carbon Fiber roof on the Circuit Edition is matched with a matte-black roof mounted shark fin antenna. The Core Grade features an aluminum hood with a color-keyed roof and matching shark-fin antenna. Gloss-black heated power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators, gloss-black window molding, and black GR Corolla badges are standard on both grades.
At the rear, both grades feature a rear lower bumper cover with functional air vents, for an extra touch these vents are gloss black on the Circuit Edition. The tapering of the roof and rear pillars are complimented by a high mounted matte-black rear spoiler on the Circuit and a gloss black rear-lip spoiler on the Core Grade. The wide track and flaring of the rear wings emphasize the car’s wide and low silhouette.
Race Inspired Interior
The design of the GR Corolla’s interior reflects the car’s performance, particularly around the driver’s cockpit.
Incorporating the feedback of professional drivers, a GR Full TFT meter was newly developed with a 12.3-inch color Multi-Information Display (MID) that has a GR meter with 4WD mode, turbo pressure, gear position indicator, and tachometer. The brightly lit display is designed for easy-viewing in any condition and even features a start-up GR animation.
The shift lever has a shortened stroke for a quick throw between gears. Positioned where the driver’s arm is naturally lowered from steering, the action is light with short shift strokes, adding to the performance quality. GR Corolla uses a pull type mechanical parking brake.
The Circuit Edition’s interior is finished in black with red trim details around the door handles, center console, steering wheel and side air vents, and the Core Grade is finished with black and silver details.
Brin Naub® suede and synthetic leather-trimmed sport seats with red stitching, red mesh inserts, and GR badged headrests; 6-way adjustable driver’s seat with seatback pocket; 4-way adjustable front passenger seat with seatback pocket are standard on the Circuit Edition. Fabric sport seats with gray stitching and GR badged headrests; 6-way adjustable driver’s seat with suede sheet seatback pocket; 4-way adjustable front passenger seat with seatback pocket are standard on the Core.
Automatic climate control, power windows with one-touch auto up/down, and heated front seats and steering wheel standard on Circuit Edition. Heated front seats and steering wheel are available with the of Cold Weather package option on Core Grade.
A GR leather-trimmed tilt/telescopic sport steering wheel with audio, MultiInformation Display, Bluetooth® hands-free phone and voice-command controls comes standard on the Circuit Edition. For an added touch, a “Morizo” signed shift knob comes exclusively on the launch year Circuit Edition.
Standard on both grades is a push button GR engine start/stop button, aluminum sport pedals, two USB charging ports, one 12V auxiliary power outlet, lighted foot wells, front console tray, and rear console box. Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging with full charge indicator light is standard on the Circuit Edition and available as part of the Technology package on the Core Grade.
The all-new Toyota Audio Multimedia system will come standard on all GR Corollas. Featuring an 8-inch touchscreen, the system offers an improved user experience thanks to new sight, touch, and voice activation. With Intelligent Assistant available through Drive Connect*, simple phrases like “Hey Toyota” awakens the system for voice-activated commands to search for directions, find POIs, adjust audio controls, change the cabin temperatures and more.
The cloud-based native navigation system offered through Drive Connect allows for real-time Over the Air updates for mapping and Points of Interest (POI), and Google POI data is integrated to ensure up-to-date search capability. It also supports standard wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto compatibility.
Toyota Audio Multimedia allows for simultaneous dual Bluetooth phone connectivity. A Wi-Fi Connect subscription offers 4G connectivity for up to five devices by turning GR Corolla into an AT&T Hotspot*, and it also offers the ability to link your separate Apple Music® and Amazon Music subscriptions to your vehicle with Integrated Streaming.
The Circuit Edition comes with Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation with eight JBL® speakers with amplifier. It includes a USB media port, two USB charge ports, Dynamic Navigation with 3-year trial, Dynamic POI Search, Dynamic Voice Recognition, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth® wireless technology, SiriusXM® with 3-month All Access trial.
See toyota.com/audio-multimedia for details. Connected Services — Safety Connect® with 1-year trial, Service Connect with 10-year trial, Remote Connect with 1-year trial, Wi-Fi Connect with up to 2GB within 3-month trial and Destination Assist with 1-year trial. See toyota.com/connected-services for details.
The Core Grade comes with six speakers, Android Auto™ & Apple CarPlay® & Amazon Alexa compatible, USB media port, two USB charge ports, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth® wireless technology, SiriusXM® with 3-month All Access trial.
See toyota.com/audio-multimedia for details. Connected Services1 — Safety Connect® with 1-year trial, Service Connect with 10-year trial, Remote Connect with 1-year trial, and Wi-Fi Connect with up to 2GB within 3-month trial. See toyota.com/connected-services for details. Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation and JBL® w/Clari-Fi®, and Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging are available as part of the Technology Package.
Safety & Other Technology
All GR Corolla grades come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), which includes enhancements made possible by system sensors with improved detection capability. The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is also capable of detecting motorcyclists and guardrails in certain conditions. When making a turn or approaching an intersection, the system is designed to detect forward or laterally approaching oncoming vehicles and provides audio/visual alerts and automatic braking in certain conditions. Improved lane recognition delivers refined performance of Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist and Lane Tracing Assist.
GR Corolla will be equipped with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC). Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist is designed to notify the driver via audible and visual alerts and slight steering force if it senses the vehicle is leaving the lane without engaging a turn signal. When DRCC is set and engaged, Lane Tracing Assist uses visible lane markers or a preceding vehicle to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
Automatic High Beams are designed to detect preceding or oncoming vehicles and automatically switch between high beam and low beam headlights. Road Sign Assist is designed to recognize certain road sign information using a forwardfacing camera and display them on the multi-information display (MID).
Toyota’s Rear Seat Reminder comes standard on all GR Corolla grades. The feature can note whether a rear door was opened within 10 minutes of the vehicle being turned on, or at any time after the vehicle has been turned on, with a reminder message in the instrument cluster after the engine is turned off, accompanied by multitone chimes.
In addition to the TSS 3.0 system, other standard safety features on the GR Corolla include Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), which is designed to help detect and warn you of vehicles approaching or positioned in the adjacent lanes and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) for added peace of mind by helping to detect vehicles approaching from either side while backing out and alerting you with a visual and audible warning. Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) also comes standard.
GR Corolla comes with a one year trial subscription of Toyota Safety Connect® at no additional cost — includes Emergency Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, Roadside Assistance and Automatic Collision Notification.
Option Packages
GR Corolla Core Grade is available with the following packages:
• Performance package: Includes front and rear Torsen Limited Slip Differentials (LSD).
• Technology package: Includes Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation and JBL® w/Clari-Fi®, and Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging.
• Cold Weather Package: Includes heated front seats and heated steering wheel.
Limited Warranty and ToyotaCare
Toyota’s 36-month/36,000-mile basic new-vehicle warranty applies to all components other than normal wear and maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover the powertrain for 60,000 miles and corrosion with no mileage limitation. Toyota dealers have complete details on the limited warranty. GR Corolla also comes with ToyotaCare, a plan covering normal factory-scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.
*Certain features include a trial period at no extra cost upon original date of new vehicle purchase or lease. After the trial period ends, a paid subscription is required. More details on trial periods and subscription-based features can be found at https://www.toyota.com/connected-services/.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 39,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 32 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, a quarter of the company’s 2021 U.S. sales were electrified.
To help inspire the next generation for a career in STEM-based fields, including mobility, Toyota launched its virtual education hub at www.TourToyota.com with an immersive experience and chance to virtually visit many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities. The hub also includes a series of free STEM-based lessons and curriculum through Toyota USA Foundation partners, virtual field trips and more.
About TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing embodies Toyota’s commitment to overcoming every limit to make ‘ever-better’ cars, to forge new technologies and solutions under the extreme conditions of motorsports, and to never stop innovating. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing races its cars to push the limits for better and to learn from the toughest challenges. Competing on every kind of road, no matter what the challenge, inspires TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to build ‘ever-better’ cars and engineer Toyota’s future DNA to bring freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to everyone. For more information, visit HERE.
A new Rolls-Royce motor car always begins its life in winter. Temperatures at the Bespoke facility used by the marque, located in Arjeplog, Sweden, just 55km from the arctic circle, drop to -26 degrees centigrade and are further cooled to -40 degrees centigrade.
There are several reasons for subjecting the marque’s products to such extremes. When the prototypes are built, engineers perform very basic tests in extreme conditions to ensure that each system is operational and functions at a basic level in cold weather. This test is combined with the beginnings of the refinement process – the first ‘lessons’ in a finishing school that will form the foundations of a motor car worthy of the marque.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: ROLLS-ROYCE 3.0
Rolls-Royce 3.0 represents the beginning of the marque’s bold electric future. The term ‘Rolls-Royce 3.0’ is a reference to the brand’s progress during its renaissance, which began in Goodwood, West Sussex on 1st January 2003. The first Goodwood Rolls-Royce was Phantom, and it was underpinned by its own Bespoke architecture. This was Rolls-Royce 1.0. Following this, a new, highly flexible all-aluminium spaceframe architecture was conceived that could be adapted for multiple applications, including the current Phantom, Cullinan, Ghost and Coachbuild projects. This was Rolls-Royce 2.0. Rolls-Royce 3.0 is the integration of a fully electric power train and Decentralised Intelligence into the marque’s architecture.
In component terms, the simplicity of the car has increased significantly. However, the requirement for engineering Spectre – of sending this uneducated car to Rolls-Royce finishing school – is unparalleled.The definition of engineering has changed. Historically, engineering a Rolls-Royce has taken place in workshops. Spectre sees this pivot into the digital space.
Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce ever and each component within it is more intelligent than in any previous Rolls-Royce. It features 141,200 sender-receiver relations and has more than 1,000 functions with more than 25,000 sub functions. By comparison, Phantom has 51,000 sender-receiver relations, 456 functions and 647 sub functions.
The dramatically increased intelligence of Spectre’s electronic and electric powertrain architecture enables a free and direct exchange of detailed information between these 1,000+ functions with no centralized processing. While this has required engineers to increase the length of cabling from around 2 kilometers in existing Rolls-Royce products to 7 kilometers in Spectre, and to write more than 25 times more algorithms, it offers a significant step forward for the brand. A dedicated control can be created for each set of functions which enables unprecedented levels of detail and refinement, allowing for what Rolls-Royce chassis specialists are already calling “Rolls-Royce in high definition”.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: ARCHITECTURE
In creating a design for Spectre, a generously proportioned, highly emotional body style was selected. This could only be enabled with the marque’s all-aluminium spaceframe architecture. Indeed, the scale is so far beyond other contemporary coupés that it orary product that occupies this space – Phantom Coupé. The marque’s designers consider Spectre to be Phantom Coupé’s spiritual successor.
Indeed, when it came to styling Spectre, the marque’s designers considered the dimensions and emotionality of Phantom Coupé, and other grand coupés from Rolls-Royce’s past. Not only did they create this emotion with Spectre’s fastback silhouette and size, but they also carried forward a key design feature of Phantom Coupé: the iconic split headlights, a design tenet that Rolls-Royce has owned for many decades.
This design typology was selected in consultation with the marque’s clients, who found the idea of a Phantom-scale Electric Super Coupé highly appealing. However, the decision to pursue this aesthetic was also strategic. Leaders within the brand wanted the first fully electric Rolls-Royce to be highly emotional, something that shows that electric powertrain technology can deliver on the promise of such grand, seductive and compelling styling. While Spectre represents an historical moment for Rolls-Royce, it is also an historic moment for electrification – the technology is now able to contain the Rolls-Royce experience.
The flexibility of Rolls-Royce’s proprietary architecture, which is reserved for the marque’s exclusive use and does not underpin mass market cars, enables the exterior design to carry the scale required to create the presence of an authentic Rolls-Royce. This is plain to see in Spectre’s wheel size – it will be the first coupé equipped with 23-inch wheels since 1926.
The flexibility of the marque’s architecture also enabled designers to dramatize the coupé experience. By placing the floor halfway between the sill structures rather than on top or underneath the sills, there is a highly aerodynamic channel for the battery, providing a perfectly smooth underfloor profile. Likewise, this creates a low seating position and enveloping cabin experience.
By moving the bulkhead location, designers and engineers have also been able to deepen the dashboard location to truly cocoon passengers.This is amplified with a dramatically low windscreen rake and incredibly efficient airflow profile. This, along with other intelligent design solutions such as an aerodynamically tuned Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, contributes to a drag coefficient (cd) of just 0.26 in early prototypes.
The battery location, which is enabled by the marque’s architecture, unlocks another benefit that is commensurate with the Rolls-Royce experience. By creating wiring and piping channels between the floor of the car and roof of the battery, engineers have created a secondary function for the battery – 700kg of sound deadening.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE: THE EXTRAORDINARY UNDERTAKING CONTINUES
With the winter testing phase completed, Spectre will continue its global testing programme. The Electric Super Coupé still has to complete nearly two million kilometres before the marque’s engineers will consider this undertaking complete prior to first customer deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2023.
