Skip advert
Advertisement

This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype

A new Toyota halo model has been spied testing in recent years, and now we've had a closer look at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Toyota is cooking up a super GT car to potentially take the place of the Lexus LC500 on the road and the Lexus RC F GT3 at Le Mans. Previewed by the GR GT3 concept of 2022, it’s still not known exactly when it’ll break cover, but with two prototypes shown at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it seems likely that the development programme is at least on track.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Rumoured to be called LFR, is one of two models expected also to take up the reins of the LFA as a halo model, alongside something resembling the Lexus Electrified Sport concept. What we do know is that it won't be electric, with a V8 sound not dissimilar to that of the 5-litre 2UR-GSE coming from both the road and track variants at Festival of Speed. A V8 GT car introduced in the late 2020s doesn’t quite compute legislatively, but Toyota Motor Company has previously been outspoken in its support for making internal combustion clean, rather than going all in on electric power...

> Will the Toyota GR Corolla be sold in the UK after all?

Visually, it can be best likened so far to a Japanese take on the Mercedes-AMG SLS or Dodge Viper: long bonnet, bluff snout, taut cockpit with a stubby tail. It’s certainly not quite as smooth-flowing or elegant as the LC, with more sporting pretence. The body side is dissected by a crisp split-line that runs alongside from the front arch to terminate at the door handle that also hides away the clamshell shutline, while the front-ends almost faceless aesthetic has a broad opening hiding the headlight elements, with cooling dealt with by a single central opening.

We sorely miss the LC500 and RC F and their ripsnorting V8s. A spiritual successor would be welcomed with open arms. The 2UR GSE V8 has found a new, if unlikely home, following the discontinuation of the V8 road cars, under the bonnet of the Toyota Supra that’s due to enter the Australian Supercars Championship.

Toyota and Lexus had denied all knowledge of the project until Goodwood Festival of Speed, and while details are still thin on the ground, rumours suggest that the racer will compete in the 2026 WEC and IMSA seasons. What does that mean for a potential road car? Well, it’s not unheard of for the race version of a model to be permitted on track before the road car is in production. Nevertheless, a debut during the same model year as its racing introduction, for the road car, is most likely.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6
Toyota Supra
Opinion

The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6

In a parallel universe, one particularly shrewd brand partnership reigns supreme
22 May 2025
Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon
Toyota Celica GT-Four
Reviews

Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon

The GT-Four was a staple of the World Rally Championship and won several of driver’s and manufacturer’s crowns, yet it’s a rare sight today
22 Feb 2025
Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1
Toyota motorsport museum
Features

Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1

Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HQ, of course…
26 Dec 2024
Toyota is returning to Formula 1 with Haas
Toyota/Haas F1 partnership
News

Toyota is returning to Formula 1 with Haas

A partnership with Haas will see Toyota providing technical and manufacturing support for the F1 team, while gaining expertise to produce better road …
11 Oct 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess
Best '80s cars
Best cars

Best cars of the 1980s – performance icons from the decade of excess

The performance car as we’ve come to adore it has its origins in the 1980s. Family cars got fast, fast cars got faster, all of them were huge fun
19 Aug 2025
Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7
Mercedes EQS – front
In-depth reviews

Mercedes-Benz EQS 2025 review – electric S-class takes aim at the BMW i7

Mercedes put all of its resources into creating a bespoke all-electric flagship, but it’s not quite worthy of replacing the S-class yet
18 Aug 2025
Gordon Murray has built two new supercars, and one of them looks just like a McLaren F1
GMSV S1 LM and Le Mans GTR
News

Gordon Murray has built two new supercars, and one of them looks just like a McLaren F1

Gordon Murray has announced the Le Mans GTR and S1 LM – a pair of track-oriented spin-off supercars from a new Special Vehicles division
15 Aug 2025