This is Toyota’s latest halo car, the hybrid twin-turbo V8-powered GR GT
Every once in a blue moon, Toyota goes out and builds a world-beating flagship model. It was the 2000GT, followed by the screaming, V10-powered Lexus LFA. Of course, we’ve got multiple teasers about Toyota’s latest car(s), the GR GT and GR GT3.
Built on the philosophy of making ever-better motorsports-bred cars and Toyota’s “Shikinen Sengu”, (a ritual where a Shinto shrine is rebuilt periodically), Toyota aims to preserve and pass on the skills and techniques of veterans of those who developed the Lexus LFA onto younger engineers, with a lot of Toyota-first new technologies found on this car.
For starters, the GR GT has a hybrid system. A single electric motor is paired to a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and a newly developed 8-speed automatic transmission. Toyota is targeting a maximum system output of 650 horsepower and 850Nm of torque, or greater. And top speed should be about 320kph or greater.
Next, this car’s front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout was designed to make handling as easy as possible, alongside aspects like an optimized low center of gravity and low vehicle weight. In fact, the target weight is 1,750kg or lower. It also uses double wishbone suspension front and back, alongside carbon ceramic disc brakes.
Heavy components are mounted as low as possible, alongside lowering the driver position and vehicle height. This car also features Toyota’s first all-aluminum body frame, and the use of lightweight materials like carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) across the body further strengthens and reduces the weight.
This car’s design was based on the basis of “aerodynamics first”, where aerodynamic efficiency and cooling performance were placed first before styling. Essentially, every single part of this car’s exterior is function over form, where the car looks more like a homologation special for a race-bred machine (which it sort of is, more on that later).
Toyota’s signature design touches can be found, like the “Hammerhead” light signature, the staggered 20-inch wheels that ride on specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, and the rear end featuring the light bar and a sleek ducktail-style spoiler.
The interior is also developed primarily to prioritize driving position and visibility, for a design that would work well for both the track and daily usage. No final specifications have been shared yet, but the digital gauge cluster and physical switches were optimized for intuitive use even during track sessions.
This car was also developed alongside its race-bred counterpart, the GR GT3. This car meets the specifications of the FIA GT3 class, so it’s mostly based on the production car, sans its very aggressive aerodynamics package, and it will use the same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and FR layout, but no details are final yet. Both cars are still under development, meaning anything mentioned could change. Both cars will launch around 2027, but this will be a very exciting time for the Gazoo Racing brand, as it is now its own sub-brand, as announced last Japan Mobility Show 2025.
Photos from Toyota
