Toyota GR Yaris Has Its Three-Cylinder Engine Tuned To 741 HP

With 257 horsepower on tap, the Toyota GR Yaris is a veritable pocket rocket. In Japan, it's slightly more powerful by packing 268 hp from its turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. The same G16E-GTS unit is also found in the GR Corolla where it produces 300 hp. In an attempt to squeeze out a ludicrous amount of power from the little three-pot mill, Powertune Australia has heavily revised the engine to match one of the newest supercars – the McLaren 750S.

The three-pot has been massaged to deliver a massive 741 horsepower (740.9 hp to be exact) at 8,117 rpm. It produces a whopping 462 hp per liter while retaining the original crank, pistons, and rods. Contacted by CarBuzz, the New South Wales-based aftermarket specialist said they've fitted a Garrett G30-770 turbocharger, a beefier head gasket, an Akrapovic exhaust system, a new intercooler, and a custom turbo exhaust manifold. To make everything work in harmony, there's a new Motec ECU.

While the standard GR Yaris routes its power to the all-wheel-drive system via a six-speed manual gearbox, this little beast has an X-Shift sequential transmission with an aftermarket clutch. Side note – Toyota has been testing for a while an eight-speed, torque-converter automatic in a prototype but it hasn't been launched yet.

This little devil nicknamed "Rodent" has already been subjected to over 30 dyno runs without any issues. Powertune Australia has been dissecting the three-cylinder engine for more than a year, so it's safe to say it knows just about everything there is to know about the G16E-GTS. Having this much power in a tiny AWD car that weighs only 1,280 kilograms (2,822 pounds) in stock form sounds like a lot of fun.

If you're wondering who owns this car, the modded Toyota GR Yaris belongs to Peter Freedman, the founder of Røde Microphones.