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The Toyota GR GT is not just another new sports car; it is the spiritual successor to the 2000GT and LFA, but in pure GR time. A road-legal race car built around three obsessions: an extremely low centre of gravity, as light and stiff as possible, and aerodynamics that were drawn first… and only then the rest of the car.

Under the long bonnet sits an all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with hybrid assistance, coupled to a transaxle rear end and an all-aluminium spaceframe. This is Toyota's new flagship, developed with Master Driver Morizo (Akio Toyoda) and professional racing drivers, yet intended to shine not only at Fuji or the Nürburgring, but also on a mountain drive on a Sunday morning.

Design and aerodynamics: form follows speed

With the GR GT, a pretty coupé was not drawn first with "some aero added" afterwards. The process was reversed: aero model first, design afterwards. Engineers from the WEC programme worked with designers to create a body that still delivers stability and cooling at 320 km/h and beyond.

The proportions are extremely low and wide:

• Length: 4,820 mm

• Width: 2,000 mm

• Height: just 1,195 mm

• Wheelbase: 2,725 mm

The long bonnet, short overhangs, aggressive front and pronounced diffuser are no styling tricks but functional choices. Cooling ducts, air guides and panels are designed so that airflow, brake cooling and high-speed stability remain optimal, as if the car were permanently in "attack mode".

Construction: all-aluminium frame and carbon details

The GR GT is the first Toyota with a fully aluminium body frame: a spaceframe built from large cast aluminium parts, extruded profiles and advanced welding and bonding techniques. On top come panels in aluminium and CFRP (carbon), good for:

• Low weight (target: ≤ 1,750 kg)

• High torsional stiffness for precise response

• A better front/rear balance: 45 : 55

The result feels like a genuine race chassis with number plates: taut, direct and ready to translate every input from the driver into speed.

Powertrain: twin-turbo V8 hybrid with a racing mentality

In an era of downsizing, Toyota Gazoo Racing deliberately goes the other way: a 3,998 cc twin-turbo V8 coupled to a transaxle-integrated electric motor and a newly developed 8-speed automatic gearbox with a wet clutch instead of a torque converter.

Target figures:

• ≥ 650 hp system output

• ≥ 850 Nm system torque

• Top speed: 320 km/h or more

• Layout: front engine, rear-wheel drive

Key elements:

• Hot-V layout: the turbos sit inside the V, compact, low and thermally efficient

• Dry-sump lubrication and an ultra-thin oil pan for the lowest possible engine weight and height

• CFRP torque tube between engine and transaxle for stiffness and weight saving

• The electric motor in the transaxle fills turbo lag and shift moments, so the response has more in common with a racing gearbox than with a classic automatic

The powerplant is designed both to meet stricter emissions standards and to retain that raw, mechanical intensity you expect from a flagship.

Chassis and handling: on the limit, but controllable

The GR GT is developed as a driver-first car: easy to place, predictable on the limit, but mercilessly fast in the right hands.

• Double-wishbone suspension front and rear, mounted low with forged aluminium arms

• Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (265/35 ZR20 front, 325/30 ZR20 rear)

• Carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes all round

• Advanced Vehicle Stability Control with multi-stage regulation of drive and braking forces

The suspension was developed from scratch with one goal: linear, readable chassis reactions, from daily kilometres to genuine circuit runs.
Stability control and braking strategy were tuned together with professional drivers, so that as a driver you choose the difficulty level yourself: more freedom if you have the skills, more safety when it is wet or the terrain is unfamiliar.

Cockpit and ergonomics: function before form

Inside, the GR GT looks like a cockpit, not a lounge. Everything is designed around:

• The perfect seating position (low hip point, central axis relative to pedals and steering wheel)

• Maximum visibility when driving on circuit

• Intuitive controls without searching

Switches for driving functions sit close around the steering wheel, with clear shapes and positioning so you can find them blind even under high g-forces and with a helmet on.
The shift-up indicator, gear display and crucial information have been extensively tested for position, height and legibility. The result: your eyes stay on the apex, not on the screen.

At the same time the GR GT remains usable as a road car: comfort and daily ergonomics have been taken into account. This is no pure track toy that lives only on a trailer.

Sound: a V8 with meaning

A modern twin-turbo V8 can sound sterile, unless you build it the way Gazoo Racing wants it. Toyota has designed the exhaust architecture to synchronise sound and vehicle state:

• Sound that evolves with load and temperature

• A V8 note you not only hear but also use as feedback when braking, shifting and building boost