Toyota makes generic sedans and SUVs. There are the Supra and Toyota 86 for those with a bit more adrenalin, but that’s it. But there’s no GT, Corvette, or Hellcat to tickle the heart. Now it looks like Toyota will be changing that. Behold the GR Super Sport. The Gazoo Racing GR Super Sport concept was built to compete in the Le Mans hypercar class. Now Toyota is going to build a touring version it plans to put into production. Yes, Toyota is building this for production.

Toyota’s GR Super Sport clicks off a lot of boxes

Much like the Mercedes AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercars the GR Super Sport clicks off a lot of boxes. Styling, speed, technology, superiority. Toyota has the chops. It just chooses to apply it to making pedestrian sedans that don’t break and won’t break the bank. 

But in this time of distractions and brand equity it needs something like the Super Sport. And so it is going to put it into production. It takes cues from the LMP1 race car and TS050 Hybrid. Confirming this is a recent patent filing for a particular door and roof mechanism. 

The mechanism shows a roof-like structure that opens up and forward. A special latching mechanism secures it in place. It facilitates entering and exiting a vehicle that is configured like the Super Sport. Race cars don’t need patents, so this is definitely with an eye toward production. 

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has said a hypercar from racing bones is something he’d like to see

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has already suggested a hypercar from racing bones is something he’d like to see. And Gazoo Racing President Shigeki Tomoyama has stated the Super Sport will be the basis for a road car so there you have it. “Rather than developing production cars into sports cars, we aim to work out how to incorporate the know-how developed through races and rallies into production cars amid various restrictions, and this is how competing contributes to Toyota Gazoo Racing’s efforts toward making ever-better cars,” he told Carbuzz.

The track version is powered by a 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 combined with a Toyota-Hybrid System-Racing system that gives a combined total of almost 1,000 hp. It nruns on 18-inch wheels on huge 330/710 R18 tires. Cameras replace side-view mirrors, and aero includes a large front splitter, rear diffuser, massive rear wing, and those ginormous side vents. 

That’s the cycle Toyota would surely like to change with Super Sport

Rumors suggest 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds with 0-124 mph expected to be at seven seconds. Those numbers should be more than enough to get enthusiasts’ attention. And that’s the point. Toyota is off the radar for most car enthusiasts. It’s the car they recommend for their aunt but not for themselves. That’s the cycle Toyota would surely like to change.

Toyota will have to make some changes to transform the race car into a street-legal terror. But it benefits Toyota to keep changes to a minimum from a development standpoint. Also from a marketing standpoint, though we doubt it will need that. With production to be low we’re sure the street version of the Super Sport will sell out quickly.