Toyota is not sending any mixed signals about its intent to occupy every performance niche. Hot on the heels of a rumor about a mid-engined Celica, Toyota showed off a pair of supercars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We’ve seen the GT3 race car concept before, but what’s notable about this appearance is the fact that its road car counterpart came along for the ride.
We must hand it to Toyota. They must have learned a lesson from the GR Supra’s extended tease that the public will get tired of a slow information drip in the years leading up to the car’s debut. That’s probably why we haven’t heard a peep about the GR GT3 since its appearance at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2022.
The two camouflaged cars ruised up the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb, less of an effort to get on the leader board and more of a signal of Toyota’s intent. Toyota works driver and former 24 Hours of Le Mans champ Kazuki Nakajima was behind the wheel of the road car, while Daisuke Toyoda, an amateur racer that’s following the footsteps of his father Akio, piloted the race car.
Other than the big wing, the GR GT3 race car differs from the road car by sitting lower to the ground with a taller central grille, large hood vent, diffusers, and race mirrors. It was a short run, but enough to reveal that the deep rumble of a V8, possibly turbocharged, emanated from beneath the hood.
That’s welcome news because production of the LC500, the last of Toyota’s 5.0-liter V8s, is likely ending soon. It’s likely the car will be branded a Lexus if it comes to market, adding to the GR Yaris/Corolla, GR86, Celica, and possibly a Supra built jointly with Mazda. Even a few years ago, who would’ve thought that Toyota would be the brand with the broadest portfolio of sports cars in the world?
I understand why they were cruising…but I kinda wish they’d have hit the pedal on the right a bit more.
It’s also nice to see Daisuke involved.