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Toyota's participation and victories in Le Mans are a complete act of vanity seeing as they're currently the only OEM in their segment. It's nothing more than a cute participation award that translates little to their actual product lineup unlike Porsche. But I do look forward to how they plan to make this street-legal.
Toyota's participation and victories in Le Mans are a complete act of vanity seeing as they're currently the only OEM in their segment. It's nothing more than a cute participation award that translates little to their actual product lineup unlike Porsche. But I do look forward to how they plan to make this street-legal.
Same thing Audi did for a decade without competition except Peugeot period. Those Audi victories and these Toyota's are not won in a fight. But Porsche was just continuation of Audi's LM works team, they didn't do a thing from ground up except the powertrain. I have to say that period with three OEMs and almost a fourth one (Nissan botched big time even though their intentions were good) going head to head were the most fun I had in any racing series so far, including mid 2000 F1 era. Such a shame WEC couldn't control the costs as at one point LMP1 was as fast as F1 or even faster at some tracks due to insane corner speeds.
Not looking for a hypercar racing at all, it's a stupid compromise of regulations. Why do they need a production model at all? It shouldn't be a reversed process, it should be a road legal supercar that turns into a racer and not the other way around. Cars will be slower than LMP1, in fact they would not be that faster than LMP2 so they had/have to gimp LMP2 spec cars. And after all of that it's still a question how many manufacturers will actually join in, so far it's Toyota all others have just expressed their intentions to get in at some point. Fail.
If you want to buy a Toyota GR Super Sport hypercar..
You'll have to answer some questions first
With only 20 to be built, Toyota's going to be selective about its owners
The much anticipated Le Mans Hypercar class is set to kick off later this year, and that means road-going versions of the prototype race cars will soon be upon us. As per LMH homologation rules, carmakers must build a minimum of 20 street-legal versions. One of the coolest is expected to be the 986-horsepower Toyota GR Super Sport, but with such limited production, not everyone who wants one is going to be able to buy one.
Toyota is going to carefully choose who gets the privilege, and has put out a questionnaire for prospective buyers with some interesting inquiries. For one, Toyota wants to know your car ownership history, and they don't mean the hand-me-down Tercel you had in high school. They want to know specifically if you've ever owned a Toyota 2000GT or Lexus LFA, but leave spaces for 10 other write-in candidates.
For those not familiar, the 1967-70 Toyota 2000GT was Japan's first premium sports car, costing more than a Porsche 911 at the time. Reviews of the time were very favorable, but the hand-built car sold poorly because Toyota was not yet an established marque outside of Japan. In recent years, the 337 examples that were built have sold for between $900,000 and $1.2 million.
The Lexus LFA's production beat the 2000GT's, but not by much. Only 500 were made, and Toyota even constructed its own carbon fiber loom to weave parts of the body. The rev-happy 552-horsepower V10 (or 571 if you got one of 50 Nürburgring versions) is considered one of the best (and best-sounding) engines of the era. Even famous Lexus haterJeremy Clarkson called it the best car he's ever driven.
Admittedly, those would make pretty impressive stable-mates for a GR Super Sport. Toyota is clearly looking for connoisseurs of fine Aichi steel to make the cut. Toyota also asks about what racing licenses the potential buyer might hold, how often they go to the track, and what their level of involvement in motorsports might be (answer choices range from watching on TV to owning a racing team). Apparently, Toyota wants the GR Super Sport's twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain to be used as intended.
It's not unusual for purveyors of luxury exotics like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin to pick its customers of limited-edition cars, but this is the first time Toyota has been so selective. It's also a rare peek into what a carmaker looks for in potential hypercar buyers. If you think you have what it takes, fill out the survey on Toyota's website.
I shouldnt be surprised, but as epic as this will probably be, it's crazy there is literally ZERO following or excitement around this vehicle.
Cause it's regulation compliance car. It's a racecar turned into a barely legal road car. And while that might sound awesome and it is awesome to own a road legal LM Hypercar those cars are not collector's favorites nor they appreciate much over time. Road legal Porsche GT1 sells for about 3 million but you might think it would at least match McLaren F1 which sold hundred cars. But no that is not the case. Mercedes CLK-GTR sells for 2.5 mil
Keep in mind these cars are just race cars for the street, they basically have no interior and by no interior I mean not even like '05 Ford GT or '00 SVT Cobra R. Not even that.
I shouldnt be surprised, but as epic as this will probably be, it's crazy there is literally ZERO following or excitement around this vehicle.
As I said before, it's going to be a 2.4L V6 twin turbo that goes for seven figures. Why would anyone care?
Originally Posted by Vladi
Cause it's regulation compliance car. It's a racecar turned into a barely legal road car. And while that might sound awesome and it is awesome to own a road legal LM Hypercar those cars are not collector's favorites nor they appreciate much over time. Road legal Porsche GT1 sells for about 3 million but you might think it would at least match McLaren F1 which sold hundred cars. But no that is not the case. Mercedes CLK-GTR sells for 2.5 mil
Think a CLK GTR went for 4.5 recently at auction, but yeah it was possible to buy for well under MSRP for most of its lifetime, even into the early 2010s. More just another example of absurd asset inflation in recent times.
Toyota reportedly cancels its street-legal Le Mans-inspired hypercar
The race-bound model remains under development
Toyota has placed its first street-legal hypercar on the back burner, according to a recent report, after a fire destroyed a prototype during testing. But the race variant isn't in danger.
Although official details about the Japanese carmaker's hypercar program are few and far between, Racer learned the street-legal version of the GR010 (pictured) unveiled earlier in 2021 was canceled because of what's described as a "serious incident" that took place on the Fuji Speedway. One of the pre-production cars Toyota was testing was badly damaged by a fire, according to the publication. The source of the blaze remains unknown outside of Toyota.
If the report is accurate, it means Toyota has chosen to consign about three years of research and development to the automotive attic; the issue must have been a seriously alarming one. Details about the hypercar haven't been released yet, so all we know is that it should have been closely related to the Le Mans-bound race car and that it would have been built in strictly limited numbers. For context, the track version of the GR010 uses a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain rated at 938 horsepower, though race regulations cap its total output at 670 horses.
Some feared the incident would put an end to Toyota's involvement in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), but anonymous sources told Racer that's not the case. The firm doesn't need to build a pre-determined number of road cars for homologation purposes; it can if it wants to, and that was the plan until recently, but it's not required.
While those saving up for a GR010 will be disappointed, Toyota might have a consolation prize. It's allegedly considering entering the GR010 in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023. Racing in two similar yet fundamentally different series isn't as expensive as it sounds because the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) aligned their technical regulations to let manufacturers compete in events on both sides of the pond without going through the resource-sapping process of developing a specific car for each series. Dodgeis considering taking advantage of the new rules as well; it would race its own version of Peugeot's Le Mans car.
09-22-20, 09:30 AM
