Toyota Gazoo Racing Reveals GR GT and GR GT3: A New Age Of Toyota Performance Cars

Toyota Gazoo Racing has revealed two major performance models in Tokyo, the GR GT and the GR GT3, marking a new chapter in the brand’s motorsport-driven story. The pair shows how Toyota plans to protect its performance core while moving into a hybrid future. Both cars will reach the market around 2027, and both have been shaped by the same idea: preserve the craft, embrace new technology, and put the driver first.

At the heart of the project is Toyota’s Shikinen Sengu philosophy. This is the practice of passing knowledge directly from masters to younger engineers. It mirrors a Japanese ritual where shrines are rebuilt to keep ancient craft alive. In Toyota’s case, Lexus LFA engineers have worked side-by-side with new talent, ensuring fine engineering instincts are kept alive rather than written into a manual and forgotten. Read about the new LFA concept here.

A Development Programme Led by Drivers

The project is guided by Master Driver Morizo (Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda). He is joined by pro racers Tatsuya Kataoka, Hiroaki Ishiura, Naoya Gamou, and gentleman racer Daisuke Toyoda. Their input shaped every detail, from power delivery to visibility. Toyota designed these cars with a simple question in mind: what does the driver need?

Built Around Three Core Principles

Both cars follow the same three engineering pillars:

• Low centre of gravity
• Low weight and high rigidity
• Aero first, styling second

Everything ties back to these points. The engine packaging, hybrid system, body frame, suspension layout, and cabin design all support these core goals.

The GR GT: A Road Car with the Soul of a Racer

The GR GT is a road-legal sports car with clear racing intent. It sits low, wide, and balanced, with a rear-biased 45:55 weight split and a target mass of 1,750 kg or less. Its stance and proportions, 4,820 mm long, 2,000 mm wide, and 1,195 mm tall, have been chosen for stability and aerodynamic efficiency.

Under its long bonnet sits a major first for Toyota: a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo engine. Compact and light, it uses a hot-V layout, a short-stroke design, and a dry-sump system to keep height low and weight central. It works alongside a single electric motor to produce 650 PS or more and at least 850 Nm. This hybrid system focuses on response and control, not economy.

Drive goes to the rear wheels through a CFRP torque tube and a new 8-speed automatic gearbox with a wet start clutch. A mechanical LSD provides natural traction at the limit. The layout keeps mass centred and low, helping the car behave with precision in tight corners and stability at high speed.

Rigidity comes from Toyota’s first all-aluminium space frame, with large cast sections joined by extruded parts and CFRP body panels. The suspension is a new double-wishbone setup, tuned with pro drivers in simulators and on track. Michelin supplies bespoke Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and the car stops on Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes.

Toyota is targeting a top speed of 320 km/h or more, supported by heavy testing at Shimoyama, Fuji, and the Nürburgring. The car has also been validated on public roads to ensure comfort and confidence away from the circuit.

Aerodynamics Designed Before Styling

Toyota reversed the usual order by asking its WEC aerodynamicists to shape the car before the design team stepped in. Every crease and vent is functional. Only once the aero model hit its targets for cooling and high-speed stability did designers create a mass-production form around it.

Driver-Focused Cabin

Inside, the GR GT puts the driver at the centre. The seating position matches the car’s low centre of gravity. Visibility is tuned for both daily driving and circuit work. Switches sit close to the steering wheel, and display graphics were refined through trial and error to ensure clear, fast readability during hard driving.

Even the exhaust note is engineered as a communication tool. The V8 twin-turbo sound is tuned to reflect the engine’s thermal and performance state, helping drivers judge grip, throttle response and boost.

The GR GT3: A Pure FIA GT3 Machine

Alongside the road car, Toyota showed the GR GT3, built to full FIA GT3 regulations. It shares the same core engine and many structural components with the GR GT but is tuned for endurance racing. The body is wider, lower, and designed purely for function.

Its mission is simple: be easy for anyone to drive, yet fast enough to win. This matters in GT3 racing, where both professional and gentleman drivers compete in the same machinery. Toyota is building a full customer support ecosystem, offering teams parts, technical help, and race assistance.

Motorsport-Derived Development

Both cars were shaped using advanced driving simulators, allowing engineers to test suspension settings, powertrain maps, and weight distribution before building prototypes. Real-world testing was conducted at Shimoyama, Fuji, Nürburgring, and various public roads.

Toyota applied a tough motorsport approach: drive it, break it, fix it, and repeat. This cycle continued until engineers could push the cars without exposing weak points. The hybrid powertrain is also designed to meet tightening global emissions rules, securing the cars’ future in key markets.

A New Flagship Line for Toyota

The GR GT and GR GT3 stand in the same family as the Toyota 2000GT and Lexus LFA. They continue the idea of a flagship built with a mix of craft, clarity and advanced engineering. This time, Toyota is proving that hybrid power and heritage can work together.

When the cars arrive in 2027, they will represent more than new models. They will show how Toyota plans to keep the art of great driving alive in a changing world.

Find the best Toyota cars for sale in the UAE.

Stay tuned to UAE’s most popular auto blog for more information about the latest happenings in all of the Emirates.

FAQs