Toyota Gazoo Racing unveils a new flagship V-8-powered sports car and an FIA GT3-spec race car, while Lexus revives the LFA nameplate for a very familiar high-performance battery-electric concept during a special event in Japan.
As Lexus attaches the LFA name to the Lexus Sport Concept that was recently ogled at Monterey Car Week and the Japan Mobility Show, the luxury brand isn’t saying much about when or if the all-electric LFA will head from prototype to the production line. But Lexus has already given this sleek, two-seater lots of exposure, so don’t be surprised to see it on sale in a year or two.
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Look For GR GT, GT3 ‘Around 2027’
As for the new Gazoo Racing two-seat prototypes, Toyota says the GR GT road car and the GR GT3 race car — both front-engine, rear-wheel drive — are still being developed under an “aerodynamics-first” mission, with a goal “toward launching them around 2027.”
And the preliminary specs revealed are tantalizing: a hybrid 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 (with dry-sump lubrication for aggressive cornering) paired with a single electric motor in the rear-mounted transaxle to deliver at least 641 horsepower and a targeted 627 pound-feet of torque channeled through a new eight-speed automatic transmission and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
‘Distinctive Racing Sound’—And Emission Compliant
The motor generator (intended to offset any turbo lag or gear-change interruption) is positioned in front of the transmission, and power reaches the rear transaxle through a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic torque tube.
Even in this sector, Toyota says the GR GT was developed to comply with emissions regulations (which appear to be softening, at least in the U.S.). The goal was to give the car a distinctive racing sound that “conveys change in thermal energy” and “synchronizes with the state of the vehicle.”
Is This What We Heard At Goodwood?
Whatever that means, fans who were standing trackside when the heavily camouflaged Toyota GT concepts roared up the Duke of Richmond’s driveway at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed might have some idea what the new sports cars will sound like.
This is a high-octane segment were six-figure transaction prices can start with 3 and where the Porsche 911 GT3 (and its many variants) has been the gold standard, now packing a naturally aspirated 502-horsepower flat-six eager to howl all the way to 9,000 rpm in pursuit of 60 mph in as fast as 3.2 seconds.
The chassis team focused on “linear response and a high level of controllability, from everyday use to spirited driving.”
Heavier, More Powerful Than The 911 GT3
This type of car is technically street legal but generally is purchased by someone with deep pockets, few back problems and regular access to a race track, to avoid too many trips to traffic court.
Porsche’s approach with the 911 GT3 has been to prioritize low curb weight, in the range of 3,200 pounds depending on your preferred spec. But Toyota and some other new high-powered arrivals are using V-8 brute strength and forced induction to offset higher curb weights. The 670-horsepower Chevy Corvette Z06, however, is naturally aspirated.
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Top Speed Of 199 MPH ‘Or Greater’
Toyota’s new GR GT tips the scales at 3,858 pounds “or lower,” according to the spec sheet, with weight biased 55 percent to the rear. Toyota claims a top speed of 199 mph “or greater,” while the 911 GT3 has a top speed of 184 mph.
The GR GT and GR GT3, as well as the Lexus LFA concept, leverage a low center of gravity and a highly rigid all-aluminum body frame with large aluminum castings in the main structure and “appropriate use” of structural plastics and carbon-fiber reinforced plastics.
The GR GTs Are Bigger, Heavier Than 911 GT3
Preliminary specs peg the GR GT at 189.8 inches long, 78.7 inches wide and 47 inches tall, with a wheelbase of 107.3 inches. The GR GT3 is 2 inches wider and more than 4 inches lower, while overall length is 1.4 inches shorter. For context, a 911 GT3 is 179.9 inches long, 80 inches wide and 50.4 inches tall, with a wheelbase spanning 96.7 inches. Toyota’s GTs are certainly larger.
Underpinning the body is a new low-mounted double-wishbone system with forged aluminum arms at the front and rear, and the GR GT gets its own Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and Brembo carbon ceramic brake discs.
For Both Pros And Amateurs
The chassis development team focused on “linear response and a high level of controllability, from everyday use to spirited driving.” Sounds like a tall task.
Likewise, Toyota says the GR GT3, which could be piloted by both professional and amateur drivers, “aims to be a car that is chosen by people who want to win yet be easy to drive for anyone.” It’s too early for pricing information. But for reference, a 911 GT3 starts at $222,500, while a Corvette Z06 will set you back $120,300.
“I want you to go all out. I want you to push even further.”
—Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda
Inspiration For The GR GT, GT3, LFA
Is there a similar GT car in Toyota’s past that inspired the new GR models?
The automaker says both new Gazoo Racing models and the LFA follow in the footsteps of the rare Toyota 2000GT built from 1967 to 1970. With its standard hardtop, the 2000GT was too small to accommodate Sean Connery in the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice, so a Japanese secret agent drives the car instead.
Master Driver Morizo Heard From
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda, who spent years pushing the automaker to bake in more passion and style across the portfolio, has a thing for sports cars, and he’s known internally as “Master Driver Morizo.” Toyoda delivered these instructions to the development team for the GR GT, GT3, and new LFA: “I want you to go all out. I want you to push even further.”
The three models symbolize Toyota’s “Shikinen Sengu,” which is a Japanese ritual to rebuild a Shinto shrine every few decades — an exercise intended to train the next generation of artisans and craftspeople, much like passing on car-making skills.
Who Needs 4 Doors And Practicality?
The new LFA is meant to demonstrate that a dramatic battery-electric vehicle can indeed come in a two-seat coupe package, while most of the sporty, high-output EVs today have four doors and more practicality.
Lexus says the point of the LFA is to give the driver an immersive experience like no other before it, pursuing “fusion between aerodynamic performance and sculptural beauty.”
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Transcending All Kinds Of Boundaries
Lexus says the LFA’s universal appeal will transcend “boundaries of nations, cultures, and time to stir the hearts of those who behold it.” Apparently it’s more than a car.
Meanwhile, the interior team strived to achieve the ideal driving position by refining the cockpit down to the minutest details.
We won’t be able to verify that until we sit inside the LFA, but for now we can disclose its specs: 184.6 inches long, 80.3 inches wide, 47 inches tall and with a wheelbase of 107.3 inches.
We Wait For Battery Capacity, HP, Curb Weight
For now, we’ll have to settle for some florid language about a car we’ve already seen several times as the Lexus Sport Concept. Despite having no tailpipes, some observers wondered if the concept would end up being a hybrid supercar positioned as a spiritual successor to the V-10-powered LFA.
But now it’s confirmed that, indeed, the LFA prototype is only battery powered, and we’ll have to wait to find out how much power we’re talking about, as well as battery capacity, charging speed, curb weight, all that stuff. Bearing the LFA name, count on at least 600 ponies.
Source: Toyota, Lexus
