You’d think T o y o t a, with its new 2023 Toyota GR86 Special Edition (SE), would bolt on a sportier suspension, slap on some grippier tires, and—hey, while we’re dreaming—throw a turbocharger under the sports car’s hood. Alas, Toyota did not do so with the SE, which instead takes a more cosmetic route to limited-edition glory.

The GR86 Special Edition will be sold in a single (albeit eye-catching) color with unique wheels and some stripes, and just 860 units will be built for North America. There won’t be anything else onboard to get your heart racing more than a typical GR86 Premium model, which is otherwise virtually identical to this SE.

So, the GR86 SE is pretty much a Premium-grade model wearing exclusive Solar Shift orange, meshier matte-black 18-inch wheels and lug nuts, and a black black spoiler and black C-pillar hash stripes. Oh, and there is a GR cat-back exhaust bolted on. T o y o t a tried something similar a few years ago with the GR86’s predecessor, the 86, creating the 2017 T o y o t a 86 SE; however, that model was used as a test bed for the Premium Grade trim.

Provided you weren’t hoping for an extra dose of performance, the GR86 SE is a visually interesting take on the GR86. Even though the cat-back exhaust doesn’t do anything to the 2.4-liter engine’s output figures of 228 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque, it should sound nicer, or at least a little louder.

The GR86 is a great car, and it was one of our finalists in the 2022 Performance Vehicle of the Year award. It even bested its own Subaru cousin, the BRZ, in testing for PVOTY. Regardless of what GR86 you want, you’re still getting a great sports car, even if the SE doesn’t add much substance.

Toyota hasn’t said what the additional cost will be to get the 2023 GR86 SE. The last SE—what was then the 2017 Toyota 86—was an additional $2,900 for the manual and automatic transmission versions of the Base coupe, but also was a more involved makeover with more unique interior appointments this SE lacks. It’ll surely cost more than the entry-level GR86, but absent specific pricing, we’ll say only that, given the limited nature of the upgrades, we hope the final MSRP isn’t too far north of the GR86 Premium grade’s ask.