The Japanese car making giant is in a bit of a high right now after clinching first and second place LMP-1 class victory at the WEC race this year at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, with their TS050 Hybrid piloted by Sebastian Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, and Fernando Alonso.
It was a perfect storm that had led to that Toyota 1-2 win, auspiciously cradling the weekend announcement that the company’s factory motorsport division, Gazoo Racing, will be spearheading a production model with tech derived from their LMP1-H tech.
The car itself is a sight to behold and quite singular in both focus, should it remain entirely faithful to the LMP-1 inspired concept car first shown off at the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon. Predicted to become a reality to some lucky customers by 2020, the mostly carbon fibre track special will be developed in the same vein as the Mercedes-AMG Project One and Aston Martin AM-RB 001 - that is, a no-compromise halo vehicle.
Once GRMN (Gazoo Racing Masters Of The Nurburgring - yes, seriously) would have begun producing the GR Super Sport, there was always an underlying purpose to homologate the car for eligibility in even more racing classes, especially because new FIA regulations opened the door for the return of GT1-style cars to take the grid.
There had been no set timeline even hinted at by Toyota at the 24 hour endurance race, but considering that the car itself will likely not be road legal, it’s development and testing periods can be expedited without the usual cruft of crash and emissions tests.
What we do know about the GR Super Sport concept, and Toyota has been uncommonly forthcoming on this, is that it will be powered primarily by a mid-mounted 2.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6 augmented by a Toyota Hybrid System-Racing system for a total system output of approximately 735kW.
The car rides on 18-inch race wheels and Bridgestone Potenza slicks. Considering that car boasts an overall height only modestly taller than its wheel arches, the twin-seat hypercar will require some dexterity to manoeuvre in and out of. Then again, what modern racing car doesn’t?
For more on Toyota cars, check out our Showroom.
