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- Okay, so it might appear to be just an ordinary Toyota Picnic, but take a look under the skin and you'll find this is no normal Japanese MPV.
- It's a one-off machine built by experts at Toyota GB's technical centre near Gatwick in 1998, using out-of-production GT4 parts.
- Although it's known as a sensible builder of everyday family cars, Toyota transformed its innocent people carrier into a full-blown experiment, one which no one knew exactly how it would turn out or what to expect.
- The Picnic GT4 was unveiled in February 1999 and was soon in the hands of an intrigued press.
- It started its life as the company car for the team's press fleet manager, John Brooks, before Brownlee himself saved it from retail with a few more interesting plans for its future.
- The GT4 Picnic was eventually sold to an Irish dealer who used it as a workhorse on a number of local rallies to support his own rally cars. It inevitably suffered a bit of damage, including a broken piston from a turbo stuck on full boost.
- Even though the Picnic GT4 was essentially a one-hit-wonder, its ability to thrill and offer a package of wheel-spinning fun provided the brand with a sporty recognition it never had before.