The Toyota GR Yaris Is Awesome, But Is It Better Than An Expertly Tuned Mini Cooper S?

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The GR Yaris has played a significant role in rehabilitating Toyota’s reputation among enthusiasts. Loved passionately by nearly everyone who drives it, there could hardly be a better competitor for it than the original Morris Mini, one of the most widely beloved little cars ever made.

That’s very good news, because its presence in this Collecting Cars head-to-head test was an accident. The Mini was called in to sub for the car the GR Yaris was originally supposed to compete against in this video. Fortunately, it happens to be a very good Mini.

According to its owner, this 1963 Mini Cooper S was Swiftune’s first works racecar. That’s very impressive provenance, because Swiftune is the company that prepares all of the Minis that race at Goodwood every year, and for which video host Chris Harris’s love is well documented.

Read: Chris Harris Shows How Much Fun You Can Have Racing A Mini At Goodwood

Despite being an FIA-certified historic racer, its 1.3-liter engine can do little to compete with Toyota’s 1.6-liter three-cylinder. According to the owner, the Mini makes around 128 hp (96 kW/130 PS), as compared to the mighty GR Yaris’s 257 hp (192 kW/261 PS).

However, as a classic racecar that has been liberated of every possible luxury, it weighs significantly less than the newer car. Tipping the scales at just 1,322 lbs (600 kg), it weighs less than half as much as the Toyota, which is surprisingly heavy at 2,888 lbs (1,310 kg).

So, with half as much power and half as much weight as the GR Yaris, does that make the Mini Cooper S Swiftune a fair competitor for the GR Yaris? Well, not in the rain. On this particularly small, particularly wet track, it’s just over 8.5 seconds slower than the Toyota.

However, there’s no shame in losing to a GR Yaris in the rain. According to Collecting Cars’ Llandow Laps leader board, this Swiftune Mini has an Aston Martin DB12 for company in being slower than the Toyota.

The true winner of this test is confused by the in-car footage of Harris driving, though. While he is seriously impressed by the Toyota, he hoots and hollers throughout his lap in the Mini, suggesting that the little classic car is more fun to drive than the stop watch can convey.