Saturday 23rd January 2016

New Toyota Prius GT300 launched

Still a Prius, still a hybrid, now with a 3.4-litre V8 in it...

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It's not often that the Toyota Prius features on PistonHeads, for all the reasons you can probably imagine. The last time we wrote about it was with a Nurburgring lap record, and even that was hardly thrilling. The Prius and PH are not really easy bedfellows.

Because racing Prius

But PH and racing cars? Now we're talking. And what you're looking at here is the new Toyota Prius GT300, developed for Japanese Super GT and recently revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

Replacing the old Prius GT300 (yes, they really have done this before), the latest car is based on the fourth-gen Prius and looks suitably bonkers. Indeed, while the Mirari-aping styling may sit rather uncomfortably on the road car, it certainly lends some drama to the racer. That plus the wing emblazoned with 'Panasonic' and standing as high as a tower block.

Don't think this is simply an entry to raise hybrid awareness either. Yes, there is a 'Hybrid Synergy Drive' system in the passenger footwell, but the combustion engine is a 3.4-litre V8 with power "capped in line with GT300 regulations." It's out there to win. Sounds like a PH kind of hybrid!

The car has been built by APR Racing and two cars will compete in this year's Super GT. Having won twice in 2015, the aim is for three victories in 2016 once the season kicks off on April 9 at Okayama. The cars competing in last year's GT300 championship were fantastically diverse, from a Lotus Evora to a Subaru BRZ and Lamborghini Gallardo, so it will be fascinating to see how the new Prius fares. Anyone up for a Fuji trip in May?

Watch the video here.

 

[Sources: Toyota GB]

[exceed]

Why make this look like an LFA, got my hopes up...

Still who can scoff at a 3.4 V8 and GT3 livery

[kambites]

Article said:

the latest car is based on the fourth-gen Prius

I'm guessing that requires a rather broad definition of "based on".

[delta0]

If this is going into GT racing classes then they have to make a production version. Could be interesting.

[GroundEffect]

Is that the V8 from the TS040 LMP1 car?

[GroundEffect]

delta0 said:

If this is going into GT racing classes then they have to make a production version. Could be interesting.

Not for Super GT. Different regs.

[delta0]

GroundEffect said:

Not for Super GT. Different regs.

Shame. Could have been what the GT86 was meant to be.

[ManOpener]

kambites said:

Article said:

the latest car is based on the fourth-gen Prius

I'm guessing that requires a rather broad definition of "based on".

Super GT regulations are notoriously pretty lax, though less so for GT300 than GT500 which is basically "anything goes". You can still fundamentally and fairly substantially modify almost everything in GT300 (well, short of going full tubular chassis anyway), including where the engine is situated (hence this one being mid-engined), though it's all due to change next year again I think.

I think they still need to be "based on" the basic shell of the production vehicle but that's pretty much it. Not sure how much of that basic shell you actually have to retain...

[mk2 24v]

that looks fking awesome

would be good to see even a toned down road version of it as well

[VeegasRS6]

kambites said:

Article said:

the latest car is based on the fourth-gen Prius

I'm guessing that requires a rather broad definition of "based on".

APR Racing once looked / squinted whilst drunk, in the general direction of a Toyota dealership

[carinaman]

exceed said:

Why make this look like an LFA, got my hopes up...

Still who can scoff at a 3.4 V8 and GT3 livery

I doubt it'll sound as good as an LFA.

[big_rob_sydney]

Imagine a road going Prius with even a fraction of this? I would definitely sit up and take notice.

[sideways man]

I like this.
More manufacturers need to do a road going sporty 'halo' model if they want hybrids to catch on in a big way, not just for tree hugging green types.
Ok, world endurance sportscars have gone in this direction very successfully, but they aren't something the man in the street could buy-same for porsche 918 etc, and F1 is WAY to complicated. The technology is obviously there,just needs to filter down to an affordable level.

The honda crz was a good effort,in that it looked sporting,but its performance was pretty feeble.

But a Prius/whatever GTI/RS with decent speed could be a good way of promoting the eco message without seeming too obviously green.

Just re-read the Morgan Powertrain piece,a few articles away. That is exactly what I mean, a true hybrid sportscar.

Go Team Morgan!!

Edited by sideways man on Thursday 21st January 14:26

[snowen250]

Someone say CRZ?

[Itsallicanafford]

Toyota need to start weaponising their road going hybrid systems and start giving the Lexus range some real firepower.

[Itsallicanafford]

Toyota need to start weaponising their road going hybrid systems and start giving the Lexus range some real firepower.

[graham22]

delta0 said:

GroundEffect said:

Not for Super GT. Different regs.

Shame. Could have been what the GT86 was meant to be.

Wasn't there an article about the BMW Z5 being developed with Toyota - could this be part of it? How would this sit with the i8? Shared technology or a mainstream i8.

[Alias218]

Pistonheads said:

...while the Mirari-aping styling may sit rather uncomfortably on the road car...

*Mirai

[DCLXIV]

This car has been racing in Super GT with the V8 (the same one Rebellion Racing used to run in WEC) since 2012. Do keep up at the back.

[RoverP6B]

Don't Lexus do a V8 hybrid LS600H? And a V6 hybrid GS450H?

[Ikemi]

Alias218 said:

Pistonheads said:

...while the Mirari-aping styling may sit rather uncomfortably on the road car...

*Mirai

I also noticed in the top-most picture the car has Yokohama Advan tyres fitted, whereas every other photo shows Bridgestone Potenza tyres!