Toyota has unveiled three new sports car concepts: the GR GT, GR GT3 and the new Lexus LFA (yes, really). All three vehicles ride on the same aluminum platform and are less than 50 inches tall. All three vehicles are built for different purposes. Because the cars are in the preliminary concept and prototype stages, exact horsepower and performance figures have yet to be released. Both the GR GT and GR GT3 are prototypes that are close to production.
Starting with the GR GT, it’s powered by a hybrid twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, and that’s all we know about it. Given that its brand is part of Toyota’s GR (Gazoo Racing) division, you can be sure it will be performance-focused, leading the division alongside the GR Supra, GR 86 and GR Corolla. As the name suggests, the GT is at least marketed as a grand tourer, but Toyota claims it’s a road racer. The GR GT3 does away with the hybrid drivetrain and sticks with a twin-turbocharged V8, clearly a racing version of the GT.
During the presentation, Toyota emphasized the point that “no more boring cars” and launched the new all-electric LFA concept. Do these three new cars carry the torch of last year’s gasoline-powered Lexus LFA? Or is Toyota launching a new sports car series just a formality to get people to take it more seriously?
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Lexus LFA, Toyota GR GT and GR GT3 concept cars on stage, front 3/4 view, world premiere screen behind them – Toyota
The old Lexus LFA was a V10-powered monster car that was engineered to be the best Toyota/Lexus on the planet, and succeeded in many ways. More than a decade later, the LFA remains an automotive legend. Now, fast forward to 2025, is the new successor worthy of the LFA’s legacy? Time will give the final verdict, but there is one way of looking at it.
By definition, the new GR GT is closer to the Chevrolet Corvette, at least in terms of overall goals and market position, but that shouldn’t be interpreted as an insult. The GR GT and Corvette are both mass-market brands of V8-powered grand touring sports cars. Both the GR GT and ‘Vette have dedicated racing versions, ready to compete at the highest levels of racing, and much like the new Corvette E-Ray, the GR GT also uses a hybrid V8 setup.
Although Toyota says it doesn’t want to be humiliated in the competition again, the GR GT at least looks more modest than the ultra-limited, no-holds-barred direction the old LFA took. Keep in mind that Lexus built a total of 500 LFAs, which retailed for $375,000 in 2010. The new LFA concept also looks set to go in a completely different direction given its electric powertrain.
Toyota’s new concept car is anything but boring, and everyone except the most pessimistic of car enthusiasts is probably very excited about the concept of a new V8-powered Toyota sports car launching in the near future. But are these cars really the successors to the LFA? Maybe not, at least not mentally.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
