Toyota’s New GR GT3 Unveiled – dailysportscar.com
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Toyota Motor Corporation has, at long last, presented the new GR GT3 to the public for the first time.
The GR GT3 was finally unveiled Friday as the racing variant of Toyota’s new flagship front-engine supercar, the GR GT, which is the successor to two of the Japanese automaker’s most desirable flagship supercars of its past: The Toyota 2000GT, and the Lexus LFA.
In the case of the GR GT3, it will be the successor to the Lexus RC F GT3, which has had a long and successful racing life, particularly in Japan and North America, headlined by the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech GTD PRO Championship won by Vasser Sullivan Racing. Most recently, it began racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class.
The GR GT3 will be powered by the same four-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine featured in the road-going model (though without the transaxle hybrid unit). Built from scratch, both versions of the GR GT have been built around a trio of core design elements: A low centre of gravity, a lightweight yet high-rigidity aluminium space frame chassis, and optimised aerodynamics where performance has influenced the design of the car.
Longer and wider than the RC F, yet with a slightly shorter wheelbase, the GR GT3 has been developed with the influence of Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman and Master Driver Akio “Morizo” Toyoda, as well as his son, gentleman driver Daisuke, and accomplished Toyota factory drivers Hiroaki Ishiura, Tatsuya Kataoka, and Naoya Gamou.
Toyota aims for its new car to be a pleasant driving experience for amateur and professional drivers alike, and plans to “establish an optimal support system for customers who race to help them fully enjoy motorsports.”
The tentative launch date for both the GR GT3 and GR GT is set for 2027.
Today’s unveiling is the culmination of a journey that began in January 2022 when Toyota first presented the GR GT3 Concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Camouflaged test cars of both the street and racing versions then began private testing at circuits across Japan, Europe, and North America beginning in 2023.
Then at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, both the road and racing concepts ran up the famous hillclimb together. In August, Lexus presented a prototype, then known as the Sports Concept, at Monterey Car Week during The Quail event. That prototype would form the basis of a third car that was launched today, the battery-electric Lexus LFA Concept.
Images © Toyota
Author: RJ O’Connell
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