Toyota Aygo For A Winner

EPSOM, United Kingdom - December 18, 2008: Project Aygo started in March last year when Toyota (GB) PLC supplied a vehicle to top-selling Japanese car magazine Banzai. The tuned Aygo, which featured throughout the year in Banzai in a series of build diaries by editor Joe Clifford, was up for grabs as star prize in a competition run in the magazine.

The lucky winner, Chris Gentles from Glasgow, is based at Tidworth Garrison in Hampshire as part of the AS90 Regiment of The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers within the Light Aid Detachment of the 19 Regiment Royal Artillery. The Aygo arrival proved to be a popular event at the barracks and Chris admitted entering the competition "several times" as he really wanted to win the car.

Project Aygo began as a standard 1.0-litre petrol model and featured throughout editions of the magazine as part of an ongoing programme of modifications. The remit was to reduce the kerb weight as much as possible while extracting as much reliable power as possible from the internally standard engine; to turn a humble city car into a road-legal track car. Modifications included a supercharger conversion specifically designed for this project, which boosted the output to an incredible 138bhp, from the 67bhp of the standard car. Changes were also carried out to the interior and chassis, while the exterior benefitted from a Toyota Motorsport body kit.

Toyota models have always proved to be popular among the tuning industry and the latest project has shown this need not be the preserve of high power large capacity engines.