Enjoy customization while taking advantage of the good parts of the stock parts

A PIT Autobacs Shinonome morning meeting is held before the store opens with a theme each time. 2024 August 18, the theme was Toyota “GR”. Some owners participated in the meeting in their Toyota “Copen GR SPORT”, the only minicar bearing the GR brand.

This is one car that was purchased separately as a second car

As we made our way around the venue, we spotted a vehicle parked in one of the few narrow parking spaces reserved for mini cars. It was the “Copen GR SPORT,” the only GR-branded minicar. The owner, Mr. Tahara, has another imported car for daily driving, and he bought this Copen GR SPORT as a second car for pure driving pleasure.

“These days there are fewer and fewer manual, convertible cars, aren’t there? I thought now might be a good time to get one, so I did a lot of research and became interested in the Copen GR SPORT. So I started looking for one and waited about half a year, and it just so happened that I was able to purchase a 2022 model at the right time.

Luxury specs with the factory-installed optional GR aero kit and HKS muffler

The Copen GR SPORT is based on the second-generation LA400K Daihatsu Copen, which will be introduced in 2014, in collaboration with parent company Toyota in 2019. It features a specially tuned chassis and suspension, an exclusive exterior, Recaro seats, and MOMO steering wheel with GR logo, and BBS wheels. Only this model was supplied to Daihatsu dealers as well as Toyota on an OEM basis and was sold by each dealer.

Based on the Copen GR SPORT, Mr. Tahara installed additional TRD spoilers (front, side, rear, rear side, and trunk), which were factory options. In addition, an HKS muffler, also a factory-installed option, was installed, making this a very extravagant vehicle.

Liking the stock suspension, he dared to keep the ride height stock as well

Mr. Tahara chose a bright orange body color called Tonico Orange Metallic, and the optional TRD aero kit was installed in black with green accent lines added. The external side garnishes on both sides of the rear trunk are also coordinated with the same black paint and green lines.

“The Copen GR SPORT is quite satisfying even in stock form, so I didn’t do much to it other than the exterior. The only thing I did was install an external throttle controller. As for the suspension, the GR SPORT’s stock suspension has very high performance, so we left it stock and did not lower the ride height. It’s really fun to drive.”

translated by DeepL