When we think about cars with "Nurburgring Edition" attached to it, it obviously would indicate on being a mental fast car that just smoked the competition of the iconic German track. Well, that is the case when we mention cars like the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ or the ferocious Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO (the current holder of the fastest Nurburgring lap time).
Even a Honda Civic Type R would fit the picture quite well. But slapping on the "Nurburgring Edition" badge onto a lousy Toyota Corolla Altis will surely cause a commotion. And that's exactly what Toyota Thailand did to commemorate Toyota Gazoo Racing's second consecutive win at an endurance event in Nurburgring. It doesn't make any sense but is a cool addition to a humble human's garage, nevertheless.
Toyota Corolla is the slowest car in the world to flaunt the 'Nürburgring Edition' badging.
Why Did Thailand Get A Toyota Corolla Nürburgring Edition?
Toyota Thailand has introduced this oddball of a Nurburgring Edition to celebrate the victory of Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Thailand's victory in the ADAC Total 24h held at Nurburging. And they won it using a specially modified Corolla in the Super Production 3 Category for the second consecutive year actually. Hence the special edition that no one dreamt of! And as the factory-backed racing team has quite the reputation in its home-ground, Toyota confined the Corolla Altis Nurburgring Edition to Thailand only.
Corolla Altis Nürburgring Edition Is 'All Show' And A Bit Of 'Go'
While it sounds all 'sporty' and 'fast'; Toyota hasn't touched the engine in this Nurburgring edition. It continues to come in either the 138 HP gasoline version and the 121 HP hybrid guise. Shockingly there is only a CVT gearbox offered. Toyota could at least offer an optional stick-shift with the gasoline to make this spicy. The major tweaks are on the exterior which gets unique "Nurburgring 24" badges on the front fender and more aggressive body panels including bumpers and widened side skirts. A trunk lid spoiler and a pseudo rear diffuser add up to the 'go fast' design cues.
Thankfully, it's not all show as the Corolla Nurburgring Edition also comes with shorter and stiffer springs along with an electronic module to optimize the throttle response. This translates to improved driving dynamics both on the straights and corners. We know that Toyota is a mature automaker when they clearly know that an adrenaline-pumping experience is not just about speed and horsepower.
This Isn't The First Corolla Nürburgring Edition
Yup, Toyota has already had a prior take on this bold and odd combination. It was the 2015 Toyota Corolla ESport and was made to commemorate the 7th place finish for a Toyota Corolla Altis in its class at the 2014 Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. But back then, it was strictly confined to looks and didn't have the slightest tweaks on the mechanical front.
They mentioned "tweaked" suspensions but that wasn't clear enough. The 2021 Corolla Nurburgring Edition is much cooler and also makes us wonder where this trend is gonna take Corolla in the next 10 years. Maybe a worthy competitor to the Civic Type R might spawn out!
Sources: Autoevolution.com, Carscoops.com, Autocentre.ua, Motor16.com, Copyfuture.com