Lexus LFA Successor Teased With a Toyota Badge and the GR GT Name

Key Points

• Toyota teases the new GR GT supercar in a Japanese TV ad.
• GR GT styling shows clear references to GR GT3 concept.
• Expected hybrid twin-turbo V8 engine may produce up to 900 horsepower; debut set for December 5.

It’s not something we talk about enough, but every time Toyota prepares to launch a new model, the whole automotive world sits up and takes notice. That feeling is only compounded with something sporty, and what Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division is cooking up now certainly fits that bill. In a new ad shown on Japanese television, the automaker has given us our clearest look yet at the production design of its new supercar, which is being hailed as an effective successor to the inimitable Lexus LFA. Along with our first proper look at the rear-end design, the license plate of the upcoming supercar confirms the name of the car: GR GT. The car was shown alongside its spiritual successors, the aforementioned LFA and the Toyota 2000GT, just like the teaser of the GR GT we got last month.

Racecar Concept Styling Refined For The Road

The GR GT3 concept seen in 2022 lends much of its looks to the road car (pedigree too; Toyota aims to develop race cars first, then road cars, promising better dynamics and fewer compromises), with a long nose and a pert rear end. But unlike that car, which has hollowed-out headlights and an almost completely straight full-width light bar, the roadgoing GR GT wears somewhat traditional headlight clusters that have a shape not dissimilar from the headlights on the current GR86, albeit sharper, and the taillight bar has a C-chaped kink at each end that is alsmost Mazda-esque. Sorry, Toyota, we call it as we see it. This won’t be mistaken for a CX-90, though.

The glasshouse tapers into the tail like a GR Supra, and triangular outlets below the main taillight clusters call to mind the LFA. Like that car, we see triangular vents on the hood and angular, high-mounted vents on the shoulders. Aggressive fenders with creases that lead from the wheel arches to the bases of the A-pillars give the car a particularly aggressive look, and a double-bubble roof promises enough room for occupants to wear helmets if they venture onto the track.

The GR GT will make its world premiere on December 5, and we’re so excited for it that the reveal story is already being formed in our minds. In the meantime, spy shots of the GR GT have confirmed an integrated ducktail spoiler and a large diffuser with four exhaust tips, and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July this year, a look inside a prototype showed a lavish red interior festooned with leather and carbon fiber, along with aluminum accents and an Alcantara dash and headliner. Under the hood, we’re expecting a hybridized twin-turbocharged V8 with up to 900 horsepower. We’ll know more in exactly one week, when we expect confirmation that the supercar will be offered in North America. Stay tuned.