The V8-powered GR GT3 race car is Toyota's cure for 'the pain of humiliation'
Not only has Toyota launched a new flagship supercar developed from the ground-up, it’s given us a fully fledged GT3 alternative to go with it
Having been built as a ‘race car for the road’, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Toyota’s new flagship GR GT supercar is available in track-only form. This is no mere track day special though, as it’s built specifically to FIA GT3 regulations to compete in the very top class of GT racing for customers 'who want to win races' – good thing they didn’t develop it for those who don’t.
The introduction of a brand new flagship supercar from Toyota is exciting enough, but a new GT3 car of any kind isn’t a common occurrence. Named ‘GR GT3’, we’ll see it go up against the likes of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Mercedes-AMG GT3 and mid-engined alternatives like the Ferrari 296 GT3 when it makes its track debut as soon as next year.
> The Toyota GR GT is a V8, rear-wheel drive Aston Martin Vantage rival
Precise specs aren’t yet known, but we do know that it will be based around the same powertrain and bespoke aluminium architecture as the road car. In road-going GR GT form you get Toyota’s all-new 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 paired with hybrid assistance for an output of at least 641bhp. Hybrid assistance is stripped from the racer to make it pure-combustion, and given the restriction of FIA GT3 regulations it will be restricted to between 500 and 600bhp depending on Balance of Performance.
This is a car directly derived from the 'pain of humiliation' Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda experienced in the early 2000s when he first visited the Nürburgring. While he scouted the circuit in an A80 Supra, it was no match for the performance cars at the time, and others told him that Toyota could never compete at the top end of the performance market. The LFA 'Code X' was built to compete at the N24 in 2014 and while it certainly made an impact, this too fell short of Akio's high expectations. The GR GT3, though, is designed to put them all to shame.
The road car’s double wishbone suspension and chassis were developed specifically to be shared with the GT3, and while elements like its brakes and transmission have been swapped for race-spec items for longevity and performance, there’s a lot in common between the two.
Given both the road and race car were designed in tandem, the GT3 shares the same exotic long-nosed, cab rear super GT design. Of course, it does feature an awful lot of aero with a huge rear wing, splitter and various other aero devices and bodywork modifications designed to improve cooling for the long track stints it will have to endure – perhaps even for up to 24 hours at a time…
Both the Toyota GR GT road car and the GR GT3 we see here are set to launch ‘around’ 2027, but exactly when and where the racer will make its debut is unknown for now. Given Akio Toyoda’s love for endurance racing, and specifically the Nürburgring, perhaps we’ll see it on track at a 24 hour race in not too long…
