To close out a crazy year, Toyota U.K. has pulled the wraps off a GR Yaris that pays tribute to essential workers on the front lines from the COVID-19 pandemic. Revealed at the WRC season closer in Monza, Italy, the vehicle is decorated having a mural created by a 16-year-old high school student as part of a “Design a Rally Car Livery” art contest sponsored by Toyota and Wales Rally The uk.
The car, you may notice, is wearing the unofficial symbol of 2021 – a face mask with elastic straps wrapped around the side mirrors. Along its sides are profiles of the nurse, teacher, construction worker, shopkeeper along with a police officer, representing professions that have kept the world turning throughout the health crisis.
Contest winner Alice Goodliffe, students at Ysgol Uwchradd secondary school in Plasmawr, Wales, is really a WRC fan. “I am a big rally fan and was absolutely gutted if this year's Wales Rally GB was cancelled [due to COVID-19],” she said. That’s why her design incorporates daffodils, the official flower of Wales. Goodliffe added the rainbow on the roof “as a manifestation of hope during these challenging times.\”
To connect the Wales connection, going into the ultimate WRC round of the season, Welsh driver Elfyn Evans held the points lead for that Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC team. Unfortunately, he was beaten by teammate Sébastien Ogier, who took the Drivers’ Championship in the final points count, while Hyundai won the Manufacturers’ Championship overall.
Nevertheless, Toyota’s 257-horsepower (in U.K. spec) homologation hot hatch has served like a highlight for car enthusiasts in an otherwise bleak year, and a celebration of essential workers caps off 2021 perfectly.
