Toyota Gazoo Racing has pulled the wraps off two advanced new performance prototypes that signal where the Japanese marque’s motorsport-to-road ambitions are headed next.
The radical-looking GR GT and GR GT3, shown publicly for the first time on Friday, introduce a new aluminium platform, a freshly developed 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a development process shaped more by aerodynamics and engineering needs than traditional styling.
The projects were overseen by Toyota Motor Corporation chair Akio Toyoda, backed by professional drivers and the company’s in-house motorsport engineers.
Though the two models share the same basic architecture, they’re aimed at fulfilling different roles. The GR GT previews Toyota’s next road-going halo car, while the GR GT3 is being prepared as a future FIA-homologated customer racer.
Toyota expects the two to move into production in about 2027, with more technical detail to follow as development matures.
TOYOTA GR GT
The GR GT has been shaped from the ground up as a road car infused with genuine racing intent. Engineers started with the driver’s seating position, deciding how low they could place it, and then packaged the rest of the car around that point. The design epoch allowed the V8 engine, hybrid system and rear transaxle to sit exceptionally low in the chassis, giving the sports car a connected, centred feeling normally associated with dedicated race machinery.
Under the exceedingly long bonnet sits the newly developed hybridised 4.0l V8. Though extensive real-world testing, Toyota said it is targeting a total output of 470kW and 850Nm of torque. Drive is sent through a lightweight carbon fibre torque tube to a new eight-speed, wet clutch automatic gearbox and a mechanical limited slip differential. The arrangement apparently also results in the sports car achieving an optimal 45:55 weight distribution front to rear.
Aerodynamics played an unusually dominant role in the development of the new GR GT. The exterior was shaped by aerodynamicists first, and designers followed afterwards, sculpting panels around the required cooling and stability surfaces. Toyota said the end goal is high-speed stability, with downforce and airflow taking precedence over styling flourishes. Top speed is expected to be north of the 320km/h mark, quick enough for most of us mere mortals.
Under the skin, the all-aluminium spaceframe chassis uses castings and composite panels to keep weight down — the programme is targeting 1,750kg or lower — while maintaining optimal rigidity. While the double wishbone suspension and bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres have been tuned through simulator work and real-world track running, the Brembo carbon brake package and track-ready vehicle stability control system draw on learnings garnered through Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Nürburgring 24-hour endurance cars.
Inside, the cabin snubs needless frippery and instead focuses on clear sightlines, intuitive switchgear and a driving position refined with input from professional and gentleman racers. Despite its motorsport leanings, Toyota said the GR GT will be a capable daily driver.
GR GT3
If the GR GT blends road use with competition DNA, the GR GT3 leans fully into the latter. Designed to compete within the hotly contested FIA GT3 category, it shares the fundamentals of the roadgoing prototype but shifts every priority towards durability, predictability and competitive lap times. Toyota wants a car that top drivers can push hard, but privateer racers, the backbone of GT3 grids, can also manage with confidence.
The engineering brief centres on maximum stability and clear feedback, allowing drivers to build pace without being caught out by sudden handling changes. Components have been selected and tested to survive the punishing heat cycles and loads commonly seen in endurance racing.
Toyota Gazoo Racing said it is also preparing a comprehensive customer support programme, offering technical backup, spares and data services to teams worldwide.
Development of the variants has combined Toyota’s high-level simulators with extensive running at the Shimoyama proving ground, Fuji Speedway, the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife and several other international circuits known to push cars to breaking point.
Toyota sees the two models as part of a long-term plan to pass its motorsport craftsmanship to a new generation of engineers, much as the 2000GT and LFA did in their eras. Additional technical information will be released as the two programmes move closer to their planned 2027 debut.
