Well, we unofficially knew a new V8 from Toyota was incoming with the GR GT. Prototypes of the car spotted have had an unmistakable eight-cylinder rumble, though the Japanese manufacturer had yet to make any comment on the engine.
Finally, though, it has admitted it has a new twin-turbo V8 in the pipeline, and its roots are perhaps a little unexpected.
As reported by Car Expert, Toyota powertrain president Takashi Uehara confirmed to Australian media that the powertrain is in development, based on the new ‘G’ turbocharged four-cylinder platform unveiled earlier this year.
While a 1.5-litre version of that will exist, we suspect the 2.0-litre G20E will be used as the core of the engine. Standalone, that’s capable of producing up to 395bhp. In theory, then, two of those strapped together to make a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 could see close to 800bhp for the GR GT. Blimey.
Of course, it’s not as simple as that, but worth considering that the GR GT is almost guaranteed to feature some kind of hybridisation, which could see that figure rise even further. We’ll have to wait until its reveal on 5 December to know for certain.
It’s unlikely that V8 will be reserved solely for the GR GT, though. Uehara added that a version “with a more gentle character” could be possible, likely appearing in Lexus’ incoming new sports car based on the Lexus Sport concept.
2025 is turning out to be quite the year for the V8, against all the odds. Lamborghini has just introduced a bonkers 10,000rpm unit for the Temerario (Spoiler alert: It’s good), meanwhile, in Munich, BMW has sold more V8s so far this year than ever before.
Even Stellantis is backtracking on plans to phase out its Hemis, with the V8 returning to Ram trucks and seemingly set to reappear in the Charger.
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Ryan serves as Editor of Car Throttle, having joined in 2023. On top of making sure everything is ticking over, you can read his takes on the latest new cars, some ways to spend your hard-earned cash in the used market, as well as the occasional JDM deep cut feature.
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