MANUAL LABOUR

Two cars from opposite ends of the performance spectrum with one crucial thing in common...

- GREG POTTS

You will not be surprised to hear that both of these cars are pretty much nailed on for TG hero status already. The Porsche 911 S/T is essentially a combination of all the best bits of Porsche’s latest GT cars, but made even better. It was first unveiled to the world back in August 2023 to celebrate 60 years of the 911, with just 1,963 planned for production. It uses the 518bhp 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat six from the GT3 RS but avoids that car’s rather conspicuous aero and adds a manual gearbox. It also saves weight in many ways to tip the scales at 1,380kg, making it roughly 40kg lighter than a manual GT3 Touring. And yes, they’re already being flipped for roughly twice the £231,600 base price.

The Toyota GR Yaris on the other hand was a bit of a cheapish champion when it first arrived at the start of 2020 with an entry price that snuck under £30,000. It was a proper little homologation special rally car for the road, and we fell for its chunky arched charms. Unfortunately, earlier this year Toyota announced this new facelifted version would cost £44,250 in the UK. With optional pearlescent paint our car here climbs to over £45k. Still, that pales in comparison with the £60k that Toyota is asking for the Ogier and Rovanperä special editions. Sixty thousand pounds!

We won’t even begin to try to justify that, but the facelift has brought with it some exciting updates. The turbocharged 1.6-litre 3cyl has been reworked to make it more reliable and up power from 257 to 276bhp, while torque jumps from 266 to 288lb ft. The suspension and shocks are stronger, the cabin layout has been redesigned to feel more sports car-like (crucially with a lower seating position) and the body has been toughened up with a 13 per cent increase in spot welds and 24 per cent more structural adhesive. Ultra nerdy stuff. This is promising. Oh, and that new steel mesh grille showing the GR-FOUR script on the intercooler is brilliantly 1990s.