Toyota rolled out three high-performance models on Friday, with an option seemingly for everyone with deep enough pockets. That includes an all-electric “concept” set to return in production form as the long-awaited replacement for the Lexus LFA, as well as two V-8 packages from its Gazoo Racing subsidiary. Headlight.News takes a closer look.
Toyota has long had a presence on the motorsports circuit but its commitment to putting serious performance products on the street has been somewhat hit-or-miss. Apparently not for long.
Even though the Supra is set to ride off into the sunset, Toyota keeps improving the capabilities of both the affordable little GR Corolla and GR 86 models. Now, company officials are looking at the other end of the performance spectrum, on Friday in Tokyo pulling the wraps off three new supercars.
They include both track and street-legal GT packages that will be marketed under the GR badge, Toyota apparently getting ready to turn its Gazoo Racing operations into a specialized niche performance brand. Also making its debut: the LFA Concept, a sleek, all-electric coupe that, officials hinted, should debut around 2027 as a replacement for the long-lamented Lexus halo car.
Lexus LFA reborn as an EV
Lexus fans have long hoped to see a successor forr the vaunted LFA – the last of that generation supercar rolling off the line in December 2012. The concept revealed on Friday is all but certain to return in production form, likely around 2027, officials acknowledged. But while the basic design of the new prototype clearly pays homage to the original, it’s another matter entirely when it comes to the powertrain.
While Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda remains something of an EV skeptic, he’s a serious performance driver – racing under the nom-de-plume Morizo. And he’s learned that electric motors can deliver the sort of power and torque all but impossible to achieve with an internal combustion engine.
Toyota has been hinting that it will bring out an extreme EV for several years, and the LFA Concept finally shows what it has in mind. Toyota didn’t offer any details on the LFA drivetrain, beyond saying it’s all-electric, but past comments all but confirm the anticipated production version will be the first model it builds using new solid-state batteries. Those cells are expected to be smaller, lighter, more powerful and less prone to catching fire. (And while they’re likely to be quite expensive at first, justifying use in a high-cost supercar, solid-state batteries eventually are expected to come down in cost enough to improve the competitiveness of EVs.)
How powerful might the LFA be? Toyota isn’t ready to reveal that, either, but we can guess. There are now versions of the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S delivering over 1,000 horsepower, enough to hit 60 in barely 2 seconds. The upcoming Ferrari Elettrica will muster similar numbers. One would imagine a production LFA giving them a good run.
GR GT
The LFA Concept is based on an all-aluminum platform – which is shared with the other two supercars Toyota rolled out in Tokyo. And all three, it seems, “are the result of veterans of development of the (original) Lexus LFA transferring skills and techniques to younger members, the active adoption of new, Toyota-first technologies for enhanced vehicle performance, and the taking on of numerous unprecedented challenges,” the automaker explained.
Both of the gas-powered models feature brawnier, more macho exterior shapes, fitting for their planned role to help launch an entirely new sub-brand for the Gazoo Racing operation. The shape was also determined by the need to cool the powerful internal combustion engines they rely on.
The GR GT is the street-legal package and it helps demonstrate that Toyota’s long fixation on hybrid technology can serve to do more than just boost mileage. It’s powered by a single-motor hybrid system paired with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8. The combined package is rated at 641 hp “or greater,” a phrase used for the 627 lb-ft torque rating, as well. Muscle isn’t everything, however, and the Gazoo team also targeted a low center of gravity, mass reduction, a rigid body and chassis, and wind-cheating aerodynamics. Along with the all-aluminum platform, the GR GT uses plenty of carbon fiber reinforced plastics and other lightweight materials.
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GT3-spec
The aluminum platform that will be used for all three supercars.
The third new supercar is designed for use on the motorsports circuit, though it apparently will target customer, rather than factory, race times. The GR GT3 will meet the rigid specifications of the Federation Internationale d’Automobile (FIA) GT3. That’s the governing body overseeing the top category of customer motorsports. And the track model “aims to be a car that is chosen by people who want to win yet be easy to drive for anyone.”
GT3-spec uses a non-hybridized version of the new V-8, Toyota not yet releasing power and performance specs. Along with the lightened body, it features a newly developed low-mounted double-wishbone system with forged aluminum arms at both the front and rear. The sports car rides on unique versions of Michelin’s Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Brembo carbon disc brakes are standard.
The GT3, meanwhile, borrows the Vehicle Stability Control system developed by Gazoo Racing for its Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race vehicles. That “allows multi-stage adjustment of driving force and braking control, enabling driver selection of the vehicle control difficulty level based on driving skill and encountered weather conditions to help facilitate an enjoyable and secure driving experience.
Production plans
Toyota is being coy about its plans for the Lexus LFA Concept – but it has indicated on a number of occasions it plans to introduce a low-volume, high-performance production vehicle using solid-state batteries around 2027 or 2028. Unless it has another big surprise in store, that should describe where things will go next for a second-generation LFA.
As for pricing, Toyota made just 500 copies of the original LFA at $375,000 apiece. And one needs to remember that this was more than a dozen years ago. Automotive inflation would mean roughly doubling that figure today. That said, the original MSRP was considered a stretch by many supercar fans and insiders suggest Toyota may take a more cautious approach this time – meaning a new LFA wouldn’t necessarily be priced directly against the likes of the Ferrari Elettrica.
Toyota is more direct when it comes to both GR GT and GT3-spec. It cautioned both of those models are “still under development,” but that effort is aimed “toward launching them around 2027.” Again, however, it’s offering no clear direction when it comes to pricing.
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