What happens when you take a mundane Toyota Aygo microcar and mate it to the go-fast parts of a Toyota MR2? You get the Aygo Crazy (Get it? I-Go-Crazy). While this one-off concept will never see production, it does offer us car nuts some insight as to what fun manufacturers can have with automotive inbreeding and some serious coin.

At best, the stock Toyota Aygo putts around with a 1.0-liter gasoline engine under its front hood that is good for about 67 horsepower, and a 14-second crawl to 60 mph. The engineers at Toyota spent about £100,000 (close to $200,000) ripping the wheezer out and replacing it with a mid-mounted turbocharged 1.8-liter engine. With the new powerplant cranking out 197 horsepower, and a manual transmission sending it to the rear wheels, the 2,200-pound Aygo Crazy sprints to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds. If the go-pedal is held to the floor, the genetic experiment will top out at an estimated 127 mph.

Not to leave the job half-done, Toyota flared the bodywork and added a wheel/tire package to accommodate the power. The interior has been fitted with a cage, racing seats, harnesses and a Sparco steering wheel. The seats and doors have also been trimmed in suede and leather. According to those who have driven the Aygo Crazy, the balance of the car has been upset with the engine now mounted over the rear wheels. Snap oversteer is the rule -- much like in another econocar-turned-mid-engine-monster from 1990.

Gallery: Toyota Aygo Crazy

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Toyota will make this summer a little sweeter in the United Kingdom with three special edition vehicles, the Yaris Ion, Land Cruiser Invincible and Aygo Black.

The Yaris Ion offers up the 1.0L VVT-i gasoline engine available for the vehicle, mated to a five-speed transmission. The starting price of £7,995 includes a whole host of goodies, including Toyota's Easy Flat folding seats, which can fold flat or recline, as well as power windows, mirrors and door locks, an audio system with CD player and concealed storage space under the front passenger seat and in the trunk floor.

The Land Cruiser Invincible gets Toyota's 3.0L D-4D diesel engine with five-speed automatic transmission, boosting output to about 200 hp and almost 350 lb-ft of torque. The Invincible also receives special badging and rear privacy glass and comes in either Argenta Silver Metallic or Astral Black. The extra power costs more money, though -- the Land Cruiser Invincible, of which only 500 are being built, starts at £34,565.

The littlest of Toyota's special edition offerings, the Aygo Black, is named so because of its Tempest Black paint job. Coming in a three- or five-door, the "special" end of special edition consists of "turbine-style" eight-spoke alloy wheels, Aygo-branded scuff plates, leather gear knob. auxiliary jack, power locks, power windows in front, and extra safety perks. Toyota's Aygo Black starts at £7,730.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Toyota launches a trio of special editions in the UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jun 2006 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.