The Toyota 222D is the company’s secret rally
project that never saw any action, as it was set to participate in FIA’s
stillborn Group S category. The Group S was destined to replace the legendary
Group B rally cars but FIA dropped it in favor of the Group A, leading
companies to scrap their development prototypes.
One of these prototypes is the Toyota 222D, reminded
to us by the excellent Toyota UK blog, with the car based off a first-gen MR2
as the regulations favored a mid-engine layout mixed with all-wheel drive.
The chassis featured a double wishbone suspension up
front, with a five-link, independent setup at the back while the engine came
from the Celica ST165 GT-Four –a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit.
Development started in 1984, with further changes applied to the 222D in 1985,
portraying Toyota’s commitment to the Group S regulations which were going to
take effect in 1987.
The project was sadly abandoned when FIA changed its
mind and introduced instead the Group A regulations, and with the 222D nearly
finished. Only two prototypes are known to exist today, with the black car kept
in Toyota Motorsport’s HQ in Cologne, Germany and the white one being on
display at the Toyota Mega Web showroom in Tokyo, Japan.
