Toyota has revealed a new £1,800 GR model that’ll help you become a racing driver*

Cancel your order for the GR GT. In fact, just go ahead and cancel whatever over-horsepowered psychologist’s dream you’re coveting, because Toyota has just revealed something even better: a family-friendly, practical and frankly excellent go-kart.

Fittingly, it is called the ‘GR KART’, and for once, we’re on board with the caps-lock enthusiasm. Chiefly because this is a go-kart designed to be practical, affordable, and accessible. Motorsport just got sensible, yo.

It’s grounded in a serious ambition of course: seasoned observers have long decried the expense of trying to become the Next Big Racing Thing, and so Toyota has attempted to address that with a real-life Mario Kart.

It measures 1.8m long, 1.1m wide, sits just 67cm high and weighs 83kg – about what you’d option in a modern Bentley, probably – with a tiny 215cc engine.

Where Toyota wants to make this easier is by making it fit in the back of a minivan – like in the back of this Toyota Noah – or giving it an upright stand so you can wheel it into the corner of your garage. To this latter point, the car’s carb, oil catch tank and fuel filler have all been designed not to leak when it’s pointing the wrong way.

The driving position is adjustable too, accommodating kids and adults from 4ft 5in to 6ft. You can tilt the wheel and slide the pedal box. Heck, there’s even a little box that holds up to 15kg of ballast.

Toyota also trumpets the low maintenance of the GR KART, like a self-charging battery, a special carburettor design with a primer pump, and a belt-drive with an auto-tensioner. Then there’s the rust-resistant rear axle shaft. Metal fuel lines. A specially-shaped bumper to stop others from riding onto your rear tyres. That sort of thing.

Adorably, there’s even a range of special GR KART accessories like a racing helmet, fireproofs, some gloves and even a little toolbox. Get your kids used to being eternally frustrated with fixing cars from an early age!

“Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda, aka Morizo, has long desired for motorsports to be an activity more people can take up, like baseball or soccer,” said Toyota.

“The GR KART was born from a desire to make karting, a gateway to motorsports, more accessible and to create an environment in which anyone can experience firsthand the joy of vehicle control.”

Now comes the awkward, uncomfortable bit: the GR KART costs 385,000… yen. That translates to £1,800. Eighteen hundred quid! The uncomfortable bit is the fact it’s only available in Japan. Boo.