Friday 12th January 2018

Toyota GR Super Sport Concept

Anything AMG can do we can too, says Toyota - and drops an LMP1 powertrain in a concept...

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Alright, so it's not confirmed for production yet. But given the second paragraph of Toyota's press release for the GR Super Sport says Toyota "aims to refine its cars and people toward the goal of making ever-better cars through participation in motorsport activities", you would have to hope this could be the crowning glory of that idea.

The arrival of this concept also implies a renewed commitment from Toyota to the World Endurance Championship despite the departure of Audi and Porsche. It's described as "a highly beneficial and necessary project" for Toyota, to help develop its hybrid and EV systems. This car uses "mostly the same parts" as the TS050 Hybrid racer, which means a twin-turbo 2.4-litre V6 and racing hybrid system for a combined 1,000hp. According to Toyota the car "is set to deliver both ultimate power and environmental performance."

Interestingly there's no comment on the styling of the GR Super Sport, so we'll come out and say now that it looks absolutely fantastic. It's lean and minimalist but beautiful too, details like the exhausts, the lights and those gorgeous rear haunches creating something spectacular.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda believes the company has a challenge on its hands to make cars that will be fun for the next century, commenting that "Toyota Gazoo Racing aims to continue making exciting cars to bring smiles to our customers' faces and contribute to the future of the automobile industry." And while the GR Super Sport might be a little way off, there is the next Supra to look forward to in the more immediate future. We're holding on to a faint hope that Gazoo could turn its attention to a GT86 for the UK too...

Whether the concept makes production or not, this week looks like a clear sign of intent from Toyota Gazoo: as well as the Super Sport we've seen the launch of the Yaris GRMN, there's a new WRC car, and a Lexus LC car for the N24. More on those imminently...

[Aftershox]

Is this the same power-train which stopped on the start/finish straight at Le mans in 2016? And all Toyota cars retiring in 2017?

Hopefully they improve reliability then...