Toyota’s offering today at the Higashi Fuji Technical Center in Japan includes not only the street-legal GRGT and the retro-spec Lexus LFA, but also a track-only machine. Considering the Lexus RCF GT3 is already a decade old, it’s safe to say the GRGT3 can’t come soon enough. However, despite hosting the world premiere, Gazoo Racing won’t launch the race car until “around 2027”, when its road-going counterpart is also scheduled to go on sale.
Although the two GRGT models are cut from the same cloth, there are some notable differences. For starters, the racing machine gets away with an electric motor integrated into the transaxle of a road car. Consequently, the GT3-spec racecar is a pure V-8 machine with a newly developed twin-turbo 4.0-liter engine variant.
Toyota is targeting a curb weight of 1,750 kg (3,858 lb) or less for the version with a license plate. As you can imagine, with the elimination of the electric motor and stripped-out cabin, the GT3 will be much lighter. It has to meet class regulations, so it has to adhere to minimum weight figures based on balance of performance (BOP). For reference, the base weight of the aging Lexus RCF GT3 is 1,250 kg (2,755 lb).
The new GRGT3 adopts a more aggressive, aero-driven body with massive rear wing and front fender louvers. It ditches the road car’s rear-mounted quad exhaust cues in favor of a more striking side-act setup, echoing its predecessor. Predictably, the interior is far less decent, stripped down to bare essentials.
Photo by: Toyota
Compared to the streetcar, its racing-influenced cousin is slightly longer, wider and lower. It measures 188.3 in (4,785 mm) long, 80.7 in (2,050 mm) wide, and 42.9 in (1,090 mm) tall. Instead of the five-lug setup with Pilot Sport Cup 2 road-legal rubber, you’ll also see Reese Centerloc wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Track tires. Both have Brembo carbon-ceramic brake discs front and rear.
Toyota doesn’t say anything about power, but again, it will depend on BOP. For the street-legal GRGT, engineers are targeting at least 641 HP and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm), though those figures include the extra OOMPH from the electric motor.
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Source: Toyota
Since the car won’t be ready until 2027 at the earliest, the venerable Lexus RCF GT3 will race for at least another season. The new track machine has been a long time coming, considering a concept was first shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2022. Although it bears some resemblance to the four-year-old exhibit, the real thing looks significantly tougher.
Toyota calls it an “under-development prototype,” so some details may still change when the GR GT3 is finally ready for racing.
