NEW TOYOTA GR GT3 SPORTS CAR IS COMING IN 2026

It’s not new news that Toyota is building a new race car. The automaker’s GR GT3 concept, shown in the lead photo, was first introduced in 2022 at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Toyota’s new race car was originally planned to be ready for the 2025 season, but its production has been delayed while the company develops the road-going homologation model.

The GR GT3 designation comes from the original concept car, so that name could change when the car rolls into production. It is rumored that the road-going model will wear a Lexus badge. Around a year ago, when Motorsport.com asked Toyota WEC team director Rob Leupe whether the motorsport-bred road car would have a Lexus badge, Leupe replied: “At the moment, it seems to be. It depends on how it develops within Toyota, but at the moment, yes.”

Toyota has not shared many details about its newest race car or its street-legal sibling. The test vehicle captured in the below spy video takes on the sleek shape of the GR GT3 concept.  It sports a large rear wing, aggressive splitters and canards, and a massive hood vent and lower bumper openings for optimum air flow.

The street-legal version will naturally appear more simplistic, sacrificing the aggressive race car look for a more pedestrian sports car. For example, it will likely lack the large rear wing and wear a tamed down front splitter.

The potential powertrain is completely unknown as Toyota provided zero hints, but the spy video captures an ear-tickling exhaust note reminiscent of a V8. The existing Lexus RC F GT3 offers over 500 horsepower from a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8, so big V8 power is not unlikely. However, there’s always a chance that the production version could be equipped with an entirely different setup such as a smaller engine or a hybrid system. If we’re taking hints from the existing 2024 Lexus RC F road car, though, it is still powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine, but with a 5.0-liter displacement and 472 horsepower. Meanwhile, the Lexus RC gets its power from a 241-horsepower four-cylinder engine or a 260-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, depending on the trim level.

Earlier this year, Toyota Racing President David Wilson said the GR GT3 race car could debut at the January 2026 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. The road car reportedly won’t be revealed until after the event, but it’s still possible that we a could catch more information coming down the pike before then.

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2024-07-25T19:27:36Z dg43tfdfdgfd