Toyota has frustrated performance fans, so far failing to replace the exotic Lexus LFA, even as it pulls the more mainstream Supra from production. But there’s good news coming. Soon, as in this Friday, the Japanese automaker confirming that’s when it will reveal the new GR GT supercar. More from Headlight.News.
The long wait is finally over. At least it will be as of Friday, when Toyota finally pulls the covers off what it now says will be called the GR GT.
A new teaser has given us the first look at what is set to become the automaker’s first supercar since the old Lexus LFA went out of production. The street-legal coupe is expected to be accompanied by a track-ready GT3 endurance racer.
Exactly where it will be positioned in the pantheon of exotic sports cars remains to be seen. Whether or not Toyota chooses to position the GR GT to directly challenge the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini or even Aston Martin we can expect something pushing solidly into six figures.
What’s the GR GT
The Toyota GR GT3 Concept.
Toyota first signaled its determination to get back into the supercar segment four years ago when it rolled out the GR GT3 concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon – the same yearly event where the new GR GT will be shown publicly for the first time next month.
It isn’t quite a direct replacement for the old Lexus LFA. For one thing, it will be sold wearing the Gazoo Racing badge, Toyota’s motorsport division taking an ever more prominent role in the company’s high-performance street and track operations – as we see with products like the GR Corolla. There is the possibility, of course, that the GR GT will birth a spin-off, key components showing up in a production version of the Lexus Sport Concept shown last month at the Japan Mobility Show.
“What if Toyota decided to build a supercar that doesn’t just challenge Ferrari and McLaren… but embarrasses them?” the automaker said in a teaser video. “The GR GT is not a concept anymore — it’s Toyota’s new flagship performance machine, built to shock the entire supercar industry.”
Powertrain options
The Lexus LFA.
For the moment, Toyota isn’t saying much more about the GR GT – and that’s touched off a fierce debate among the nattering automotive media class.
According to one faction, the GR GT will use a version of the new V-8 Toyota recently announced. It would, goes this line of thinking, displace 4.0 liters and get a boost from twin turbochargers. In keeping with Toyota evolving performance strategy, meanwhile, it may also add some form of hybridization to add still more low-end torque to boost launch numbers.
The alternative, goes the other side of the debate, will see GR GT powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that also relies on twin turbos and, all but certainly added in some form of electrified boost. This approach, they claim, will result in as much as 850 horsepower delivered to all four wheels, with torque vectoring adding another measure of control.
The other question concerns the gearbox, though there seems little likelihood of a manual option. A DCT or more conventional automatic thus remain possible options.
And here’s where things get even wilder: might Toyota even show off a hydrogen-powered version of the GR GT? It would be used as a test mule, rather than a serious retail package, seeing how a supercar might perform using the gaseous fuel in a modified internal combustion engine, rather than a fuel-cell stack.
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Design and technology
And here’s where things get even wilder: might Toyota even show off a hydrogen-powered version of the GR GT? It would be used as a test mule, rather than a serious retail package, seeing how a supercar might perform using the gaseous fuel in a modified internal combustion engine, rather than a fuel-cell stack.
Based on both internal chatter and the teaser video, it appears the low-slung GR GT will use a mid-engine layout. The wing underscores the emphasis on wind-cheating aerodynamics. The nose boasts distinctive, GR-brand styling cues, including massive air intakes and a carbon fiber splitter.
From the rear, a quad-vented diffuser is visible, along with a wide light bar.
Positioning and price
While the old Lexus LFA had plenty of fans, especially among the automotive media, sales lagged expectations. Pricing was clearly a factor, at $375,000.
Even though GR GT might deliver performance matching what we’d expect from Ferrari or Lamborghini, that sort of price tag was just a little rich for Lexus buyers – and insiders suggest Toyota isn’t going to try to go head-to-head with its European rivals, at least on the MSRP front, this time.
Where it will land up, well, perhaps we’ll learn more on Friday. But it clearly will need to push above six figures, if for no other reasons that today’s relatively mainstream Lexus RC F can top $100,000.
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