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This 1,000-horsepower, rear-drive Toyota Corolla iM could be yours

We were amazed last year when we learned that Papadakis Racing built Fredric Aasbo a rear-drive, 1,000-horsepower 2017 Toyota Corolla iM for drifting. Now we're amazed that the car could end up in the hands of an average person, because the car is currently going for auction on Bring A Trailer. Just as a quick recap for those that might have missed hearing about the car last year, the little Toyota hatch features a turbocharged and nitrous-injected 2.7-liter 2AR-series Toyota four-cylinder. Variants of that engine are found in older Toyota RAV4s and Camrys. According to Bring A Trailer, the engine hits 1,000 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque when running on E85. Power goes through a four-speed dog box manual transmission to the rear wheels. Now there is the question of what you would do with such a mad machine. One possibility is to run it again in the Formula Drift series the car was built for. Bring A Trailer reports that it should be legal for the 2019 season, and with extra parts and wheels, you would be in a good spot to get started. The seller does note that all the graphics and sponsor decals would have to be removed if it's entered again. Even if you didn't run it in a professional drift series, it would probably be a fun car to use in more grassroots drift events or even just as a track car of some sort. There's also one more potential option that would be totally absurd. You see, it appears Papdakis Racing started with a factory-built, street legal Corolla iM that could have easily gone on to see a life of ferrying a young couple or family around in efficient, affordable style. As such, it should have a VIN that could be used to register and insure the car without too much trouble. It even still has functional lights. As long as you're in a state that doesn't have modification or emissions restrictions, it could be possible to make this a street car. Now we're not positive on this, so do your due diligence before plunking down cash for it, but it does seem possible, and it would be crazy and awesome. Related Video:

Toyota confirms C-HR crossover to debut at Geneva

With the compact crossover segment booming with new entries, Toyota soon intends to burst into the popular market with a production version of the C-HR concept. The rakishly styled, little CUV will show off its final face at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show next March, and European sales will start before summer, Autocar reports. Customers in the US will likely get to drive the angular model, too. The C-HR concept's chiseled shape is expected to make the transition to the road largely unaltered. According to Autocar, customers reportedly really dig the razor-sharp look versus a more conventional CUV design. A hybrid is also expected to be included in the production powertrain lineup, but non-electrified options could be available, too. The Japanese automaker last displayed the C-HR at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. Underneath the avant-garde shape, the Toyota New Global Architecture provided the underpinnings, and a hybrid powertrain was there for propulsion. The concept's general design idea was actually the revival of a three-door crossover from the 2014 Paris Motor Show. In addition, the production C-HR is expected eventually to arrive in the US but likely wearing a Scion badge. Spy shots highly suggest that a crossover is already under development, and the entry would give the division a much-needed challenger to the Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, and plenty of others. Plus, the brand is keeping it absolutely no secret that a third, new model is on way to join the iA and iM.

Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of