Toyota’s New Supercar Was Designed To Hunt Porsches and Ferraris

Toyota’s Lexus brand did something unexpected in 2010, and it took a few years for the automotive world to come to terms with it.The staid luxury marque introduced the $375,000 LFA supercar. The two-seat coupe was powered by a V10 engine and sounded like a refugee from Formula 1. This, from an automaker that used to balance champaign glasses on the hoods of its cars to demonstrate how civilized they were.It was highly praised by those who drove it, and could reach a top speed of 202 mph, but it didn’t sell nearly as fast as that. A total of 500 were built through 2012, but it took a decade to find buyers for all of them. The market just didn’t know what to make of it.Afficionados have since come around to its charms and now consider it one of the greatest sports cars of the 21st century. You’ll have to pay up for missing the boat if you want one now, because they trade on the auction circuit for upwards of $900,000.The Toyota Gazoo Racing GR GT3 and GR GT. ToyotaLexus did use the LFA as a springboard to launch more mainstream sports cars and enter the world of endurance racing, where it has since become a championship-caliber manufacturer, but it never released a new LFA. That changes soon.Lexus previewed an LFA this week that will be on sale in about a year, but you won’t hear it coming. That’s because it is an all-electric vehicle this time around. However, it will have to vie for customers with a more appropriately loud successor to the LFA that will be parked right next to it in Lexus showrooms.The Toyota Gazoo Racing GR GT is designed on the same lightweight aluminum frame as the new LFA, but is essentially a street-legal racing car with a powerful V8 tucked under an exceptionally long hood. Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s performance division, and the GR GT exists so it has a car to enter in production-based racing events like the 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans. Given the well-heeled nature of its target customers, it will be sold through Lexus dealers, despite the Toyota in its name.The Lexus LFA is an all-electric luxury sports car. LexusWhile the GR GT is not electric, it is a hybrid. The turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 sends power to a transaxle-style eight-speed gearbox mounted behind the cabin, where it is boosted by an electric motor before being directed to the rear wheels. The system’s combined output is 641 horsepower and the top speed is expected to be close to 200 mph.The GR GT’s low, sleek body is made from light carbon fiber panels and is practically shrink-wrapped around the driver and passenger to optimize its aerodynamics. The race car’s profile was designed first, then dialed back for the street model. Nevertheless, the interior is appointed in high-end leather and microfiber suede upholstery and features a conventional control layout that wouldn’t confuse a Camry owner.The GR GT will face cars like the Porsche 911 GT3, Ferrari 296 and Ford Mustang GTD on both the street and the track and will be priced accordingly. An exact figure hasn’t been confirmed, but these cars live in the $225,000 to $400,000 range, while the racing versions sell for about twice as much.The GR GT’s interior is trimmed in premium materials. ToyotaTimes have changed over the past 15 years and the idea of a $225,000-plus sports car with the Toyota name on it isn’t nearly as shocking as that $375,000 LFA was. Ford has had no trouble selling the Mustang GTD for $327,960, and Toyota likely won’t need a decade to find 500 customers for the GR GT.

Toyota’s New Supercar Was Designed To Hunt Porsches and Ferraris

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