Toyota‘s official PR let the following cryptic message fly on Twitter/X today. Translated, the missive reads: “The full story will finally be revealed by Toyota Times the day after tomorrow. Chairman Toyoda said at Fuji Speedway, ‘Please look forward to Toyota Times on the 13th!'” The text refers to two billboards at Fuji Speedway, where it’s expected that Toyota will drop its new supercar and a successor to the Lexus LFA, which first debuted in 2010.
We’re expecting this successor to be called the GR GT3, and perhaps they’ll toss in a dash of Lexus something-er-other, since that would hat-tip the LFA. The whys here are pretty interesting—detailed below. Oh, and we also have some thoughts about the “whats,” and probably some spillover beyond supercars that will be compelling for everyday drivers, perhaps, too.
Lexus has been competitive—at times—in GT-class racing, and has worked hard to overcome the limitations of the prior RC F. And Lexus does need to charge harder with sports cars. They’re not volume products for anyone save, sort of, BMW, and Mercedes, but if you think about how much they’ve burnished the reputation of those brands, you can see why Lexus needs that sheen, too.
And if you want proof, just look at the GR86 and GR Corolla as great boons to Toyota. That parent of Lexus has made Gazoo Racing a household name, and in turn, made these cars matter to the tuner crowd. Lexus most recently showed off the Sport Concept, which could be what drops this coming Monday from Toyota. Speculation is that this will be a hybrid twin-turbo V-8 developed by Gazoo Racing.
FYI, we asked Toyota North America to comment on the forthcoming drop, and they gave a polite, “No comment,” but they also didn’t say this was vaporware or A.I. slop. Our speculation about the Twitter release is that Toyota will show off more than one car, and that they’re rolling these concepts (or pre-production models) a few weeks ahead of the Japan Mobility Show, later this month, to get a solo spotlight.
The message on Twitter incorporated Lexus, GR badges, along with both the Toyota Crown and Daihatsu logos. It’s not clear whether that means anything specifically, but it likely does.
Since we already know Toyota will put its own engine into the revamped GR86, and we know that the Supra needs a replacement, it’s possible we get further news of what’s to come on those fronts. And, perhaps, there’s a GR that uses the Crown name as part of a sporty two-plus-two or crossover?
Lexus may also incorporate GR badging on a road-going version of the GR GT3. Why not? F-Sport has been used by Lexus to indicate “performance-ish” versions of extant models. Lexus could put teeth in their labeling hierarchy if GR became BMW-like M badging for the luxury marque.
We fortunately don’t have to wait long for whatever Toyota’s about to drop. You can bookmark the above on YouTube and watch the debuts yourself on Toyota’s official Toyota Times Channel. Knowing chairman Akio Toyoda’s passion for racing, we’re betting that what drops will be pretty impressive, and that the carmaker will chase both ultra-high performance, and obtainable goods for the masses, since that’s very much in keeping with the brand’s history.
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