Forget the Supra, Toyota has confirmed plans to put the 986-horsepower GR Super Sport Concept into production. The Toyota Gazoo Racing squad will handle the vehicle's development and will use their expertise in endurance racing to build what will essentially be a road-going Le Mans competition machine.

The GR Super Sport will use tech derived from the TS050 hybrid race car. Power will come from a 2.4-liter biturbo V6 in addition to what the firm calls the Toyota Hybrid System – Racing. In total this setup will be good for 986 hp (735 kilowatts).

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Toyota's announcement makes no mention of when the GR Super Sport would arrive other than stating that development is already underway. The concept will be on display at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Toyota GR Super Sport
Toyota GR Super Sport
Toyota GR Super Sport

Photos indicate that the machine makes liberal use of carbon fiber. Underneath the low-slung body it appears that the lightweight material makes up the entire monocoque. The company appears to be using rear-mounted cameras instead of mirrors, which would likely need to change on the production version because so far only Japan allows their use instead of traditional pieces of glass.

"We started this project because we believe that creating a super sports car that delivers the same appeal as the TS050 Hybrid greatly adds to Toyota’s involvement in the WEC. And at some point in the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine and experience its astonishing power and driving performance." Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota Gazoo Racing president, said in the model's announcement.

The GR Super Sport's production announcement comes as quite a surprise. Toyota originally unveiled the machine at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2018. While Toyota expressed interest in building the hypercar, at the time the Tomoyama said: "Although it will be some time before you all have the opportunity to get behind the wheel, I hope that the GR Super Sport Concept will give you a taste of what we aim to achieve with our next-generation sports cars." The statement didn't make it seem that a road-going version could happen so soon.

Source: Toyota

 

 

 

 

Gallery: Toyota GR Super Sport concept

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Toyota confirms development of a next-generation hyper car
JUNE 15, 2018COMMENTS (0) | ADD YOUR COMMENT
 
 
Toyota Gazoo Racing has unveiled the GR Super Sport Concept at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The concept, which made its world debut at the beginning of the year at the Tokyo Auto Salon, is a next-generation hyper car that uses hybrid electric technology honed through Toyota’s participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

 

Toyota has started development of a new super sports car, making use of the cutting-edge hybrid electric systems and fuel efficiency technologies that the WEC team has tested and refined during six years of competition in the series.

 

The GR Super Sport Concept is powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine allied to the Toyota Hybrid System – Racing (THS-R). Like the Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1 race car, this powertrain delivers 1,000hp.

Shigeki Tomoyama, Toyota Gazoo Racing president, said: “Competing in the World Endurance Championship – one of the most demanding motorsport series – and racing at Le Mans helps us to advance the development of our world-leading hybrid electric technology and enables us to transfer the knowledge we gain to our production cars.

 

In the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine
“As the automotive industry is approaching an era of big changes, we will continue our passion for making cars that are truly exciting. No matter how electronics and digital technology will continue to transform vehicles, we will make sure that our cars will not become just another commodity,” he continued.

“We started this project because we believe that creating a super sports car that delivers the same appeal as the TS050 Hybrid greatly adds to Toyota’s involvement in the WEC. And at some point in the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine and experience its astonishing power and driving performance.”

 

Visitors to the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans will be able to see the GR Super Sport Concept in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Fan Village from 9:00am Friday until 2:00am Sunday, then during Sunday from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

GR Super Sports Concept – outline specifications:
POWERTRAIN 
Engine 
Twin-turbo, direct injection V6 
Engine capacity (cc) 
2,400 
Max. system power  (engine + hybrid motors, DIN hp/bhp/kW) 
1,000/986/735 
Hybrid system 
Toyota Hybrid System – Racing (THS-R) 
WHEELS & TYRES 
Wheel size (front and rear)  
18 x 13J 
Tyre size (front and rear) 
330/710R18 
GR Super Sports Concept: bonus images

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