2027 Toyota/Lexus GR GT sports car spied for the first time

• A road car counterpart of the Toyota GR GT3 race car has been spotted
• New sports car may be marketed as Lexus
• Power is expected to come from the newly developed V-8

Toyota is developing a new GT3 racing car that will form the basis for a high-performance sports car built for the road. A prototype of that street model has been spotted for the first time.

The race car was shown as a concept at the 2022 Tokyo Motor Show and has in the past been spotted during heavy testing at some of the best racing circuits in the world, such as Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.

Some competitions the race car could end up in include the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship. The race car is expected to make its competitive debut in 2026, and the road car is expected to launch around the same time, making a 2027 model year arrival likely.

Toyota executives have hinted that a road-going version of the race car is on the way. The GT3 class requires race cars to be derived from road cars, so it was inevitable that Toyota’s new race car, which is not based on any current road car, would eventually produce a model that can be driven on the street.

Toyota GR GT3 concept

What’s not clear is whether the car will be marketed as a Toyota or a Lexus, although most rumors point to the latter, as this will allow the race car to take the place of the aging Lexus RC F GT3 on the track. Lexus has also shown off an electric supercar concept with proportions similar to the race car, perhaps indicating a shared development.

Development is still at a relatively early stage and the final design may evolve on the way to production as the prototype design is still very close to the race car. For example, there is still polycarbonate for the windows.

However, there are some clear differences. The road car has a smaller rear wing than the race car, and also uses conventional rear-mounted exhaust tips in place of the race car’s side exhaust. The front and rear are also unique, and on the road car the front splitter is a lot smaller. The road car also has street-legal tires, in this case a set of Michelins.

Lexus Electrified Sport – Photo credit: Noriaki Mitsuhashi/N-Rak Photo Agency

Toyota has not yet provided any details about the race car, but under the hood is expected to be a V-8 engine. The road car will also likely use the V-8, perhaps with even more power, since it has no Balance of Performance rules to adhere to. There are even some rumors that the road car could use hybrid technology.

A possible name for the car is GR GT, a name that Toyota has registered as a trademark. The “GR” here means Gazoo Racing, the official motorsport division of both Toyota and Lexus. The race car is expected to be called a GR GT3.

Stay tuned for updates as development continues.