One the eve of the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota Gazoo Racing unveiled
the GR Super Sport Concept in all of its funky glory. The Tokyo Auto Salon is Japan’s version of SEMA,
which means that there will be plenty of incredible machines on display. But we
have a feeling that Gazoo Racing’s concept will be one of the more absurd
vehicles at the show.
The motorsport division has taken a lot of the
components found on the TS050 Hybrid that Toyota raced in WEC and packed them
into a striking concept. Power comes from a 2.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6
engine, just like in the actual race car, that’s also paired to a Toyota Hybrid
System. Combined output for the concept is claimed to be 986 Hp.
Gazoo
Racing didn’t provide any other interesting tidbits on the vehicle, except that
it previews how Toyota, according to Gazoo Racing’s President Shigeki Tomoyama,
plans to “develop sports cars from active race cars.”
In addition to having a similar powertrain to the
TS050 Hybrid, the GSR Super Sport Concept looks like it could compete in the
WEC. There are no headlights, there’s nothing that resembles a traditional
door, no regular windows, and nothing that gives us the impression that it
could be used on the road.
What the concept does have is plenty of
aero. Look at those front canards and the strange front-end design. They both
look like they come straight off of the real-life race car, just spruced up a
little bit. There’s also a fin on the back, like WEC competitors, and what
appears to be a sizable rear wing. It really does look like the motorsport arm
took Toyota’s racing experience and turned it into a car.
If this is what future sports cars and supercars
from Toyota will look like, then we’re definitely on board. The GR Super Sport
Concept is the ideal vehicle to lead Toyota's and Gazoo Racing's GR lineup of
performance vehicles.
