This undoubtedly confirms the supercar will feature a V8 engine, probably turbocharged and possibly even hybrid assisted in the case of the road car version.
Power and torque outputs are purely speculative at this stage, but given that road-going rivals are now comfortably into the 700bhp arena, we suspect the Toyota won’t be far behind.
We have also learned a lot from the car’s proportions. They suggest that the engine sits in front of the driver, but behind the front axle, creating a front-mid engined layout as seen in the previous-generation Mercedes-AMG GT.
It’s impossible to tell from the prototypes, but it’s also likely that drive from the engine will be sent through a transaxle incorporating a limited-slip differential and quick-shifting automatic transmission. We don’t yet know whether that gearbox will be a traditional automatic, a dual-clutch or even some other form of self-shifter.
The car’s construction is also rumoured to be of carbon fibre, this should keep the weight down and increase structural rigidity. A similar choice was made for the iconic Lexus LFA, which pioneered the technology for the Toyota group back in 2011.
Toyota’s decision to build a road-going supercar isn’t just for on-road bragging rights, though, as it also plans on entering the GT3 class with a racing version that’s been co-developed alongside the road car program. The road-going car will homologate the racing car, in much the same way as the GR Yaris did for Toyota’s World Rally Championships entrant.
GT3 is a racing class where the most important sports and supercar brands do battle, from Ferrari and Porsche to McLaren, BMW, Lamborghini and Aston Martin.
Will it get Toyota or Lexus badging?
Toyota is still being so coy on the details that we don’t yet know whether the new supercar will feature Gazoo Racing branding alongside a Toyota badge, or run the gauntlet of being badged as a Lexus and considered a successor to the LFA.
The good news is that we won’t have to wait long for either road or race car to be shown in full. In fact, we believe the car will be racing as early as next year.
Now you can buy a car through our network of top dealers around the UK. Search for the latest deals…
