Who says zero-emission vehicles are boring? The Toyota Mirai FCV just drifted during a stage opener at a World Rally Championship (WRC) event in Germany.
According to DigitalTrends, the said event was the ADAC Rally Deutschland held near Trier, Germany. Despite running the event without competition, Toyota supposedly couldn't help but outfit the Mirai with performance brake pads and rally tires.
"Inside, the sedan gets a pair of bucket seats and a full roll cage."
Apart from the said modifications, the Mirai FCV used in the WRC stage opener is said to be similar to the US-spec Mirai, where is has already attracted 600 early adopters.
"The drivetrain makes 153 horsepower and sends the 4,078-pound Mirai from zero to 60 mph in 9.6 seconds."
According to the WRC website, the Toyota Mirai FCV rally car was driven by its Japanese owner, Mitsuhiro Kunisawa, who is an experienced rally driver and journalist.
"It is our dream that one day our fuel cell vehicles will be able to compete in WRC. Therefore, we will continue to develop this technology with great ambition," Mirai chief engineer Yoshikazu Tanaka said.
"Spectators at the Rallye Deutschland will have to get used to this noiseless premiere at Trier, but they'll experience the art of an almost pollution-free future."
Over in the UK, examples of the Mirai FCV have arrived last month ahead of its official launch in September, according to Car Keys.
"Only a limited number of 11 Mirais have been made available in Britain so far, each of which have been snapped up already mostly by business customers for a pricetag of around £60,000," the website said.
The spec sheet for the production version UK-spec Mirai has yet to be confirmed. The zero-emission vehicle is expected to have sat-nav, leather upholstery and LED headlights as standard.
Literally translated to "future," the Mirai is the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and will be offered in select European markets, including the UK, Denmark and Germany.
The official UK launch for the Toyota Mirai FCV is reportedly set for September. In the US, the vehicle will be available in California initially with deliveries beginning in October.
