The 2022 Rally1 regulations redrew the boundaries of the World Rally Championship, mandating a standardised 100 kW hybrid unit alongside each constructor's own turbocharged engine, safety cell and bodywork. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT entered that new era with the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, a car built on a bespoke rally platform entirely separate from the road-going GR Yaris. This Spark Model 1:43 reproduces Car No. 33 from the very first round of the 2023 season, preserving a precise moment in the hybrid era of the WRC.
The GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid — A New Regulatory Era
When the FIA introduced Rally1 regulations for the 2022 WRC season, every manufacturer had to integrate a Compact Dynamics 100 kW hybrid unit alongside its combustion engine. Toyota's answer was the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder producing around 380 bhp, with the hybrid system bringing combined output close to 500 bhp. The Rally1 framework also standardised the safety cell, ensuring a common structural baseline while leaving engine architecture, suspension and bodywork to each constructor. It was a fundamental shift from the pure-combustion World Rally Cars it replaced.
Evans, Martin and the 2023 Monte Carlo Opener
Rally Monte Carlo 2023 ran from 19 to 22 January as the opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais took victory in the sister Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 No. 1, while Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin brought Car No. 33 home in fourth overall. Evans, a Welsh factory driver with Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT since 2020, carried the permanent race number 33 throughout the 2023 season; Scott Martin joined him as co-driver for the 2023 season, with Rally Monte Carlo being their first event together. The white, red and black Toyota Gazoo Racing livery worn by No. 33 in Monaco was the factory team's standard 2023 scheme, used across the full season before its subsequent evolution.
Spark Model at 1:43 — Craft and Detail
Spark Model is one of the specialist manufacturers that has made the 1:43 scale its primary arena for motorsport replicas, consistently covering WRC, Formula 1 and endurance racing with fine surface detail and accurate livery reproduction. This model represents the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid No. 33 as it appeared at Rally Monte Carlo 2023, with the white/red/black Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT graphics applied to a body matched to the car's distinctive compact proportions. Spark's 1:43 rally releases are a benchmark for coverage of the modern WRC grid, capturing cars and events often overlooked by other makers.
In the Display Cabinet — Placing the 2023 Monte Carlo
This model sits naturally alongside other Spark 1:43 representations from the 2023 WRC season, including the winning No. 1 Ogier/Landais GR Yaris Rally1 from the same event and the championship-winning No. 69 Rovanperä/Halttunen car. For collectors focused on the Rally1 hybrid generation — a historically bounded era that began in 2022 — this No. 33 provides a driver-specific, event-specific reference point from the season's first round. Rally Monte Carlo, as the WRC's most historic venue and perennial calendar opener, gives this piece particular weight in any dedicated WRC collection.
