Two Year Old GR Corolla Sold For More Than A New One Thanks To Some Costly Tricks

A two-year-old Toyota GR Corolla just sold for more than the MSRP of a MY25.
The 7k-mile 2023 Core model had thousands of dollars worth of tuning upgrades.
Mods include a carbon intake, cat-back exhaust, coilovers and 18-inch TE37 rims.

The Toyota GR Corolla is a great car to drive, but not much cop as an investment. We recently reported how bidding on a 2025 car with under 1,000 miles (1,600 km) fizzled out at $35,500, which is almost $6k less than an equivalent new model costs. So how come a 2023 car in base Core spec with 7,000 miles (11,300 km) up just sold for $5,000 over MSRP on a similar auction site?

It’s all to do with what happened to the GR Corolla after it was delivered to its first owner in 2023. Because while it might have started as a lowly Core model it underwent a transformation costing thousands of dollars that made GR fans sit up and take notice and persuaded a few of them to reach for the bid button.

The car was off to a good start because it came equipped with the optional Performance Package, an $1,800 bundle consisting of front and rear limited slip differentials and red-painted, GR-labelled brake calipers. But that really was just the start of its upgrade journey.

Mods fitted since delivery cover every aspect of the car, but let’s start with the chassis and suspension setup. It now features 18″ Volk Racing TE37 wheels with 265/35 Falken Azenis FK510 tires, Cusco adjustable coilovers, a Cusco front strut brace and Endless brake pads.

Photos BaT

Under the hood – upgraded to a vented Circuit Edition unit – the 12-valve 1.6-liter triple has been treated to an EcuTek Bluetooth tuning module, LIMIT+1 ECU, Eventuri gloss carbon-fiber air intake, SXTH Element front-mount intercooler, Turbosmart Kompact blow-off valve, a LIMIT+1 exhaust downpipe with an integrated high-flow catalyst as well as an A’PEXi cat-back exhaust system. Phew!

The Bring a Trailer auction listing doesn’t say what effect those goodies have on the stock power and torque ouptut, but we assume it now makes far more than the MY25 GR Corollas, which stuck at 300 hp (304 PS) but got a 22 lb-ft (30 Nm) boost to 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) over the original models like this one as part of a mini refresh. The MY25 launch also brought an automatic transmission option for the first time, so this car has a six-speed manual, which is fine by us.

Inside is a set of BRIDE Low-Max GIAS carbon-Kevlar seats, which the blurb incongruously claims are fitted with the factory Toyota heating elements.

The listing doesn’t give a total cost for the mods, but the winning bidder who stumped up $45,000 for this car, which had a $41,000 MSRP two years ago, must have calculated that he’d struggled to replicate it for the price if he started with a stock car. Do you reckon he got a good deal?