For years, Toyota has been whispering about a front-engined, fire-breathing sports car meant to take on the Mercedes-AMG GT and storm the GT3 racing world. And now, finally, it’s here: the GR GT for the road, and the GR GT3 for the track—two machines that look like Toyota got tired of being sensible and decided to set something on fire.
Developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s performance division, the GR GT sits on a bespoke aluminum frame with carbon-fibre bits sprinkled everywhere like performance confetti. Toyota won’t spill all the numbers yet, but it’s aiming for a fighting weight of 1,750 kg or less and a 45:55 front-to-rear balance—proper GT stuff.
Under that mile-long bonnet lives a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with dry-sump lubrication, an eight-speed rear transaxle, and rear-wheel drive. Power? At least 641 horses and 627 lb-ft of torque, plus a little help from an electric motor for extra shove.
Inside, things get very un-Toyota. Red leather and Alcantara everywhere, a bespoke digital display, and a chunky GR-badged steering wheel. It’s less “Lexus lounge” and more “race car living room,” but it all looks built for business.
It’s big, wide, low, and looks like it’s been designed by someone who spends weekends yelling at racing drivers. It rolls on 20-inch wheels with steamroller-sized rear tyres, packs carbon ceramic brakes, and uses double wishbones at all four corners.
Toyota is billing the GR GT and GR GT3 as the spiritual heirs to the 2000GT and the LFA—no small shoes to fill, given one is a ’60s icon and the other basically screamed its way into motoring legend.
Toyota says one of the big goals was to bottle its mystical “secret sauce of car-making” and hand it to the next generation, all based on its Shikinen Sengu philosophy. In other words, this isn’t just a pair of cars—it’s Toyota trying to pass down the family recipe for greatness.
Toyota hasn’t quoted acceleration times yet, but says it’ll do 199 mph or more—which is plenty fast enough to terrify your insurance company.
Both models are still in development, so some details may change. No price yet, but Toyota reckons deliveries will begin in 2027. Plenty of time to start saving—or apologising to your neighbours.
