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New Delhi: Toyota’s story with sports cars goes back a long way. It began with the famous Toyota 2000GT, then many years later we got the Lexus LFA. Now Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division has built a new flagship model called the GR GT. Toyota describes it as a race car you can legally drive on public roads. While developing it, GR focused on three main ideas.
The GR GT comes with large carbon-ceramic discs at both ends. These are the kind of brakes usually found on high-end performance cars and race cars. The wheels are 20-inch alloys, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and the rear tyres are especially wide at 325 mm, which helps grip and stability. Even so, Toyota is aiming for a curb weight of 3,858 pounds or lower.
The GR GT is claimed to make at least 640 horsepower, which is already a big number. Toyota says these are just minimum targets and the production version may have even more power. The engine is a brand-new twin-turbo V8, and it is paired with a single electric motor that sits inside the transaxle. Together, they produce strong torque around 627 pound-feet. All this power is sent to the rear wheels through a new eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The exterior design pushes the “road-legal race car” look quite hard. The GR GT has a very low roofline, giving it an aggressive stance. The total height is 47 inches, which is lower than both the 911 GTS and the Corvette E-Ray. At the back, there are four exhaust tips tucked inside the aerodynamic elements. The sides have vents and sills that look inspired by GT3 race cars. The front end still resembles a Toyota, but with exaggerated proportions, especially the long dash-to-axle distance, which gives it a dramatic profile.
Inside the cabin, everything is focused on the driver. Toyota does not use its usual badges here because GR wants the car to feel like a separate, performance-focused brand. The Recaro bucket seats have carbon backs and look ready for track driving. The design of the interior feels more like something from Lexus rather than a typical Toyota, mixing sportiness with a bit of luxury.
A big highlight is the structure of the car. Toyota is using an all-aluminium frame for the first time. While developing it, GR focused on the centre of gravity to be very low, the total weight had to be kept down, and the car needed a very stiff structure so the aerodynamics could work properly.
The body panels are made from a mix of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and aluminium. The reason for this is simple: reducing weight improves almost every area of performance. A lighter car sits lower, corners better, and lets the aerodynamic parts work more efficiently. Even the brakes perform better with less weight to slow down.
