Toyota has been working on its next-generation GT3 car for quite some time now. The racer, currently known as the GR GT3, will likely be badged as a Lexus and takes heavy inspiration from the GR GT3 Concept unveiled at the start of 2022. It is almost identical in shape and size to that concept and, in news that’ll excite enthusiasts, it will spawn a road-going production model.
This prototype looks like one spotted
testing at Fuji Speedway twelve months ago. It’s bathed in camouflage but
there’s no hiding the massive front grille, the huge front splitter, and the
long hood. Other key aero elements visible include a gaping-wide rear diffuser
and a rear wing with swan-neck uprights. Like the concept, the prototype also
has side-existing exhausts. That brings us to the engine.
The new race car is tipped to receive a
twin-turbocharged V8, and based on sound alone, that seems to be precisely the
type of engine this prototype has. The engine emits a throaty and bassy sound
and should have plenty of power. Lexus is thought to have started work on a new
twin-turbo V8 as far back as 2019. While speaking about the car to SportsCar365
earlier this year, Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson said he
would like to see the GR GT3 debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2026.
