A fresh spy video shows Toyota testing a new sports car. The automaker covered the model in camouflage, but its silhouette is unmistakable – this is the Toyota GR GT3 concept that is in development for the race track and the road.
The video, shot from a distance at the Motegi motorsport venue, doesn’t reveal much of the coupe’s styling. The car looks tiny on the track, but the long, flat hood and massive wing are clear, as is the car’s throaty exhaust note that sounds like a V8 engine.
In June, Toyota WEC team director Rob Leupen confirmed that the race car will compete in WEC starting in 2026. He also revealed that the automaker would build a street-legal version of the concept, which is expected to lose its Toyota badge for a Lexus one. In early 2022, Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson suggested the concept could be “a precursor” to the next GT3 from the luxury brand.
While the race car might hit the track in 2026, it’s unclear when the road-going version could arrive at dealers. If it wears a Lexus badge, it will likely replace the RC in the lineup. The coupe is old, launching in 2014 for the 2015 model year and receiving its mid-cycle refresh for 2019.
The RC F also serves as Lexus’ GT3 racer right now, but getting it ready for racing wasn’t without its challenges. In February 2022, Wilson told us that it was “an afterthought” to turn the current-generation RC into a GT3 car, which isn’t how you build a race car. Lexus put in a “Frankenstein” effort to increase the coupe’s level of performance.
Toyota first showed off the GR GT3 concept at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon. The big wing, large front splitter, canards, sharp body lines, and side-exit exhaust captured everyone’s attention, and it looks like many of those features could make it onto the racing version.
We expect Lexus to tone down the road-legal version, as we don’t see the company keeping the side tailpipes for everyday use. The car could also lose its aggressive canards and front splitter before hitting the road. Lexus may even use a different rear wing on the production model. With the automaker already testing the vehicle, we hope to learn more about it soon.
