Toyota Gazoo Racing reveals V8-powered GR GT
The finished article is due in 2027 - but a 650hp engine and wild shape are confirmed already
Well, this is exciting. Not only a clean sheet, ground-up supercar from a recognised car maker, but one that will make at least 650hp - overwhelmingly from a 4.0-litre V8, with just a tiny bit of hybrid help. Not only that, but the architecture is going to spawn a wild GT3-spec racer. Oh yeah, and an EV. Plenty to ponder, then - say hello to the GR GT.
As expected, there’s no Toyota in that name. This is Gazoo Racing’s creation, its interpretation of what the ultimate modern supercar can be. GR says the GT has been developed ‘as a road-legal race car that further advances its philosophy of making ever-better motorsport-bred cars.’ It’s a familiar line from other GR sports cars, this GT representing the apotheosis of all that Gazoo believes in and has put into its road cars thus far. Which, let’s be frank, have been pretty damn good.
So this is an all-new car, boasting Toyota’s first all-aluminium monocoque, carbon reinforced plastic for the panels, ceramic brakes, double wishbones all-round with forged aluminium arms, bespoke Michelin Cup 2s, an eight-speed auto in a transaxle and plenty more of the good stuff you’d hope to see in a top-tier supercar for the 2020s. Furthermore, while a hot-vee V8 sounds familiar these days, powering everything from an AMG GT to an Aston Vantage to a Continental GT, this is an all-new Toyota unit. Special features include a short stroke of just 83.1mm (the AMG M177 is 92mm, for example, and just 16cc separates them), which should be great for revs, and a dry sump to help oil supply on track. Plus, along with the short stroke, a low bonnet height.
GR is promising at least 650hp and 627lb ft for the V8, which should see 4.8m and 1,750kg of GT to more than 200mph. The hybrid influence sounds minimal for now, a single motor in the transaxle the only real mention. So it’s probably more of a T-Hybrid style arrangement than full-on electrification. Whatever the case there, Toyota is promising the V8 will take centre stage, the exhaust ‘meticulously crafted’ to ensure ‘the distinctive racing sound of a twin-turbo V8 engine.’ A new eight-speed auto is being developed with the explicit aim of ‘world-class shift speed.’ Encouragingly, thanks to the transaxle, the V8 a reasonable way back and the ‘optimal placement’ of other heavy stuff, weight distribution is said to be 45:55.
See, despite appearances (and we’ll get to that in a second, GR wants the GT to be an accessible rather than a hairy-chested sports car. Helps the racer, too - if a car is unintimidating to drive, going faster is simpler. So a development aim for the suspension was ‘linear response and a high level of controllability, from everyday use to at-the-limit.’ Inevitably, that approach bled into the tyre behaviour as well, to enable a driver to ‘interact seamlessly’ with the GT, and pros were on hand when it came to braking behaviour. The Vehicle Stability Control has stages of adjustment, sounding a lot like systems in M cars and AMGs, to adjust assistance according to conditions. That’s said to be a direct takeaway from Nurburgring competition.
Probably though, despite all that, you’re still staring slack-jawed at the two-seat supercar on the screen. Certainly the GR GT couldn’t be accused of ripping anyone else off - this is unashamedly a Gazoo creation. Notably, too, one created with aerodynamic efficiency as the guiding principle of the project. A normal road car will have its design sorted first, then have aero and cooling incorporated, says GR; for the GT that’s flipped on its head, the engineers were in with the designers from the very beginning to make sure that the aero was spot on. Then it could be sketched out fully. That would explain some of the more unconventional features, like how low both the nose and the tail are, the slightly strange shape of the doors and the vents everywhere. The GT is also long (4,820mm) but just 1,195mm tall, again surely to the benefit of carving the air. And making for a supercar that looks like little else. It seems clear that this was a racing project first, then adapted into a showroom model.
That becomes patently clear when looking at the GT alongside the GT3, as even by the standards of tightly regulated sportscar competition, the racer really doesn’t seem an awful lot different. It’ll be interesting to see how the GR compares with the other front-engined cars on global GT3 grids, because there’s everything from Mustangs to M4s and Vantages to AMGs for competition. Toyota won’t campaign the GT3 itself, instead offering it out to customer teams with a support program; they reckon it will be ‘a car chosen by people who want to win, yet easy to drive for anyone’. Should be the perfect race car, then. Additionally it’s suggested that both road and race car share three key elements: ‘low centre of gravity, low weight with high rigidity and the pursuit of aerodynamic performance.’ As per FIA GT3 rules, the GT3 will go without the GT’s hybridisation.
Obviously it will also go without much of the road car’s interior, too, which looks… well, it looks like a well-thought-out GR cabin, with big buttons for useful features, large gearshift paddles, and crisp displays. And not even one bit of BMW anywhere. Maybe it doesn’t scream glamour, even with scarlet red, Senna-style Recaros, but let’s reserve judgement for the real thing. You can surely bet on a great driving position and even better visibility.
As it stands, development on both the GT and GT3 will continue through 2026 ahead of a full launch in ‘27. So elements may change, targets may move and so on. This isn’t the Gazoo supercar pair in its final form just yet, then. But there’s a great deal to be excited by already...
Interior is amazing in its simplicity. No gimmicks, just motorsport inspired round buttons.
Absolutely love it.
PS: I said this before but that aluminum chassis could very well be the original LFA aluminum chassis that never went into production. That would be so Toyota to do that and save on the development costs.
Interior is amazing in its simplicity. No gimmicks, just motorsport inspired round buttons.
Absolutely love it.
PS: I said this before but that aluminum chassis could very well be the original LFA aluminum chassis that never went into production. That would be so Toyota to do that and save on the development costs.
Time will tell if it is a commercial success but I very much doubt it will
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