Unless you’re a Toyota fanatic or closely follow
Japanese racing series’, you may not know that the Toyota Prius has competed in
the nation’s GT300 championship for a number of years. The Prius filmed during
recent shakedown tests is indeed the facelifted model unveiled at the Los
Angeles Auto Show. Yes, it is actually a Prius. No, it barely shares anything
in common with the road-going model you can walk into your local dealership and
buy.
Rather than equipping the race car with a boring
hybrid powertrain like the production model, the Toyota Prius GT300 racer has a
thumping V8 under its skin. What’s more, this engine is mounted in the middle
of the vehicle and in order to comply with GT300 regulations, has its power
capped at 300 hp.
For a V8, that’s not a lot of grunt. However, it is
a healthy boost over the 120-odd horsepower offered up by regular Prius models. The Prius prototype in question
was filmed bathed in camouflage and being taken to its limits by a very
committed driver.
Much like current NASCAR vehicles, it would be
nearly impossible to recognize this racer as a Prius if it wasn’t for the
headlights and taillights. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, as the
Prius name doesn’t exactly conjure up images of a potent race car designed to
win races and championships.
