The Toyota Prius has an incredibly varied reputation among car enthusiasts. For some, it's one of best family hybrids on the road today and a trailblazing world-changer that won hearts and minds for a new eco-friendly mindset in motoring, and for others, it's the butt of the joke about the most boring car to ever exist. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, it's clear to see that the Prius has proven itself to be ahead of its time with its hybrid powertrain and eco-friendly sensibilities, but what if this lifelong goody two-shoes developed a darker, more sporty, and race-ready side?

Gazoo Racing, Toyota's motorsport brand, has been on fire recently, releasing a number of iconic sports cars such as the GR 86, the GR Supra, and, of course, the inimitable GR Yaris. Now, it seems they have turned their attention to an unlikely source.

Ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 2023, Toyota revealed the Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition, a concept displaying what a hardcore Prius might look like, and while it's unlikely this will ever make it to production, we still think it's worth dreaming about the possibilities of a GR Prius.

What Might A Hardcore GR Prius Look Like?

When Toyota released the most recent generation of Prius, the motoring world was taken aback by its new sleek and sexy look. Previously a frumpy and severely sensible-looking car ever since the release of the first-gen, the fifth-generation Prius, unveiled in 2022, is a car styled with purpose, and even in its standard state, the Prius now looks like a car that can handle itself and represents an attractive proposition for buyers.

We think a hardcore GR Prius would build on this strong platform rather than reinvent it entirely, making changes without taking away the essence of the current car. We expect it to have large alloy wheels, a stiffened sporting suspension, and a lower stance, alongside beefed-up brakes to handle any extra performance the car may have.

We'd also expect to see plenty of carbon fiber accents, a full racing body kit, including splitters and diffusers, and, of course, a substantial rear wing.

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What Might A GR Prius Be Powered By, And How Will It Perform?

Given that the Prius name is so famous for its hybrid powertrain, we'd be very surprised if Toyota gave a GR Prius any other type of powertrain. That said, of course, with Gazoo Racing's input, there's no doubt that a GR Prius would come with a strong power increase on the standard car.

While the 2023 Prius is by no means a slow car anymore, with a 0-60 mph time of 7.1 seconds, this is not a figure befitting a GR Toyota vehicle. We imagine that a GR Prius would be given a powerful hybrid platform capable of taking the car from 0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds; and while all-out power is rarely the GR way, we think it's unlikely that the car would have less than 250 hp. Alongside the power upgrade, we expect a hardcore modified GR Prius to be fitted with a number of performance upgrades across the board to ensure a fantastic driving experience.

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How Much Would A GR Prius Cost?

Pricing

Toyota GR sports cars are never cheap, but, considering their bona fide performance car status, they represent a bit of a bargain overall. The current 2023 Prius Limited — the top specification of Prius on the market right now — starts at $34,465, while the base-level option starts at just $27,450. In addition, to help us estimate the price of a GR Prius, the current GR Corolla starts at $35,900. As such, we believe that any hardcore GR Prius would cost around $35,000 - $40,000.

While we imagine it's reasonably unlikely that a hardcore GR Prius will ever make it to the market, we'd certainly love to see it happen because there's no such thing as a bad GR car.