Toyota is getting closer to the start of its GT3 endurance campaign, and a recent testing video shows us it’s definitely something worth getting excited about.
Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division unveiled the GR GT3 concept at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon with all the classic race car bits and bobs – a long bonnet, massive rear wing and diffuser, front splitter, bonnet vents, side-exit exhaust, and centre-lock wheels – as it looked to expand further into endurance racing.
It certainly looked the part, and now having seen footage of it on track, it sounds like Toyota’s partnership with Lexus on the project has not only brought with it a tasty V8 soundtrack, but also the potential for an equally delectable road-going model wearing a Lexus badge.
Have a listen for yourself as the camouflaged Toyota/Lexus GR GT3 spins laps of Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Toyota is looking to hit the ground running when it joins the LMGT3 category of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2026, and it’s believed the car seen testing in the video will be the next generation of Lexus’ GT3 race car.
The current car is the Lexus RC F GT3, which is set to compete in this year’s WEC competition in the LMGT3 class at the hands of the European Akkodis ASP team.
It’s been racing since 2017 and is powered by a 5.4-litre V8 producing more than 367kW of power, mated to a six-speed sequential transmission.
It’s been reported Lexus could introduce a hybrid successor to the LFA next year, which could potentially use a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with between 515kW and 530kW of power, mated with a 662kW electric motor.
The new performance car has previously been referred to as a “catalog model” and not a limited-build model like the LFA, which means it could stick around longer and in larger numbers than the 500-unit V10 offering.
The new GT3 wouldn’t be Toyota’s first foray into WEC racing, as it has taken out the championship in the top flight of the series in every year since 2018.
MORE: 2026 Toyota GT3 racer to spawn new Lexus sports car
MORE: Lexus LFA supercar revival coming with V8 hybrid
MORE: Toyota GR GT3 concept revealed at 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon
+ There are no comments
Add yours