The Gazoo Racing Super Sport WEC hypercar thread

supra93

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The low-slung performance machine looks fast even when standing still.

Back in September, Toyota introduced its GR sports car range in Japan with a three-tier system: entry-level GR Sport, midlevel GR, and the range-topping GRMN. Roughly a month later, it attended the Tokyo Motor Show with the GR HV, a droptop concept based on the 86 with a design influenced by the company’s LMP1 race car. Fast forward to present day, Toyota through Gazoo Racing is now providing a first glimpse at the more hardcore GR Super Sport, yet another concept born using the expertise gained in the World Endurance Championship.

For now, we only have this shadowy teaser to go by (see modified version below), revealing a silhouette somewhat similar to the TS050 Hybrid, which will also be exhibited at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2018. Toyota is not being very generous with the details at this point, but mentions the concept has its origins in WEC and illustrates “how technological feedback acquired through motorsports activities is incorporated.”

Aside from bringing the GR Super Sport and the TS050 Hybrid, Toyota will also exhibit the Yaris WRC and road-going models, including the 86 GR and the supercharged Vitz GRMN hot hatchback sold in Europe as the Yaris GRMN. These will be joined on stage by all race cars set to compete in the grueling 24 Hours of Nürburgring next year.

The Tokyo Auto Salon 2018 will open its doors to the press on January 12, while the next two days are going to be reserved for the public.

As for the reborn Supra (name not confirmed), there’s no sign of it just yet. It won’t be at the Tokyo Auto Salon, nor will it be shown in Detroit next month. For what it's worth, the model is scheduled to debut sometime next year when the sporty coupe will be accompanied by its roadster counterpart, the new BMW Z4.

https://www.motor1.com/news/224463/toyota-gr-super-sport-concept/
toyota-gr-super-sport-concept-teaser.jpg

toyota-gr-super-sport-concept-teaser.jpg

toyota-gr-super-sport-concept-teaser.jpg
 

NVlaar

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Here's the rendering from Japanese Best Car magazine. They also state that it will have a price tag around $300K if it goes into production around 2020. :scream::scream::scream:GRスーパースポーツ.jpg
 
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Gecko

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Kind of boring looking, IMO. All of these supercars are starting to look the same.
 

supra93

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toyota-gr-super-sports-concept-02.jpg

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Toyota and Gazoo Racing have unveiled the GR Super Sport Concept at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon.

According to the Japanese automaker, the GR Super Sport Concept is “a concept car that incorporates hybrid technology honed through participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).” The concept features mostly the same main parts found on the TS050 Hybrid race car that competes in the WEC, including the V6 twin-turbo hybrid powertrain. While this isn’t a realistic depiction of a future production car – it lacks headlights and traditional doors after all – Toyota says it hopes the GR Super Sport Concept offers a taste of what the automaker aims to achieve with its next-generation sports cars.

Unfortunately, not very many details were revealed about the concept, with Toyota focusing on how technologies developed in its motorsports activities help contribute to making better road cars. In other words, Toyota is looking at a future where it develop sports cars from active race cars, and that’s something everyone can appreciate.

It’s unlikely the GR Super Sport Concept previews any sort of production car, but wouldn’t it be interesting if Toyota made a competitor to the Aston Martin Valkyrie?

“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,” said Gazoo Racing Company president, Shigeki Tomoyama in a release. “Thus, this is the starting point for Toyota’s completely new challenge to develop sports cars from active race cars. Although it will be some time before you all have the opportunity to get behind the wheel, I hope that the GR Super Sport Concept will give you a taste of what we aim to achieve with our next-generation sports cars.”

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2018/01/toyota-s-latest-concept-car-is-absolutely-stunning.html
 
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supra93

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GR SUPER SPORT CONCEPT VISITS THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS
DEVELOPMENT OF TOYOTA'S NEXT-GENERATION SUPER SPORTS CAR HAS STARTED


First revealed at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon in January, this next-generation hyper car incorporates hybrid electric technology honed through Toyota's participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Meanwhile, the development of Toyota's next generation of super sports car has started. It takes the cutting-edge hybrid electric systems and fuel economy technology that the TGR WEC team has tested and refined during the past six years in WEC, and showcases them in one superb package.

The GR Super Sport Concept is powered by a V6 twin turbocharger and the Toyota Hybrid System-Racing (THS-R), delivering a combined output of 1,000 DIN hp, which it shares with the TS050 Hybrid LMP1 race car.

Shigeki Tomoyama, President of GAZOO Racing Company, said: "Competing in the World Endurance Championship -one of the most demanding motorsports series- and racing at Le Mans -one of the most iconic races- helps us to advance the development of our world-leading hybrid electric technology and enables us to transfer the knowledge we gain into our production cars.

As the automotive industry is approaching an era of big changes, we will continue our passion for making cars that are truly exciting. No matter how electronics and digital technology will continue to transform vehicles, we will make sure that our cars will not become just another commodity.

We started this project because we believe that creating a super sports car that delivers the same appeal as the TS050 Hybrid greatly adds to Toyota's involvement in WEC. And at some point in the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine and experience its astonishing power and driving performance", concludes Tomoyama.

*The GR Super Sport Concept will be on display during the 86th 24 Hours of Le Mans at the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing "Fan Village" starting Saturday, June 16 (Opening Hours: Saturday, June 16 09:00-02:00 +1, Sunday, June 17 09:00-15:00).

*The new movie and graphics of GR Super Sport Concept revealed at the press conference can be downloaded here: https://www.tgr-dam.com

GR SUPER SPORT CONCEPT SPECIFICATION
Powertrain Engine type Twin-turbo direct injection V6
Engine displacement 2,400 cm³
Combined max. power
(Engine + Hybrid motors) 735 kW / 1,000 DIN hp
Hybrid system Toyota Hybrid System - Racing (THS-R)
Wheels Size
(front & rear) 18 x 13J
Tyres Size
(front & rear) 330/710R18

https://toyotagazooracing.com/release/2018/wec/0615-01.html
 

CIF

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may be the best hyper car for now,but can we really have a chance to see it down to road?

There is a good possibility. New rules in the FIA WEC are being finalized to start for the 2020 season, which will allow teams in LMP1 to race actual hypercars close to road legal cars rather than prototypes. I think this concept is not only a hint at what Toyota's future LMP1 car may look like, but also a hint at Toyota's future supercar/hypercar. It may be an LFA successor, or Toyota could release it as a true hypercar one category higher than the LFA.
 

TheNerdyPotato

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It might just be me, but at first glance, that powertrain sounds a lot like what's used in F1. I'm sure there's things that make it different, but there's not a huge market for 2.4l turbo hybrid V6 engines.
 

Rhambler

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Toyota is one of the few manufacturers, maybe the only manufacturer, that dedicates resources to these race cars and leagues with nothing to show for it on the production side, engine wise.

It almost seems like a complete waste of time, resources and money. What’s the payoff of trying to look like a company that can build fast race cars when they have zero such cars in their entire lineup lol.

Even lowly Acura has some marginal commonality between their production car engines and race series.

These resources would be better spent elsewhere imo.
 

ssun30

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Little to no road relevance is a very valid complaint against Toyota's motorsport programs aftee the Group A rally era.
They spent $3 billion on a F1 program during the appliance era when they had zero (later one) performance car. They could use all the knowledge learned from making the LFA and trickle the tech down to more affordable cars but they didn't (well technically they made that fancy dash available to every F-sport). They have a wicked and tough AWD 380hp Yaris rally car, but instead made a limited availability 'hot hatch' from TRD bin parts. And THS-R? That has been raced since 2006 and we are still seeing zero performance hybrid application. Honda made a lousy attempt with the new NSX but at least they tried.
 

Rhambler

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Agree.

Another note, the one car that could truly showcase their talent: the Supra, is left in the hands of BMW.

I would find it very ironic if Toyota slaps the Gazoo name on that BMW...well maybe not all things considered.
 

CIF

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Toyota can certainly try harder to implement racing technology in production cars.

However only the misinformed or trolls would say that Toyota is not implementing any race technology currently in production cars. The LFA 1LR engine is a pure 9000 RPM race engine built to production standards and Lexus quality. Yes it's unattainable for the vast majority but this engine still exists. This is a race engine that is built to run reliability for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, again to Lexus standards. That is unheard of for any other supercar engine. The carbon fiber know-how of Toyota in F1 was used tremendously on the LFA, and then used on the LC. To a small extent it has been used on some of the F cars as well.

A small amount of F1 technology was used for Toyota's GR and UR engines. Further F1 technologies were lightly used for the new M20A, A25A, and V35A engines.

The reason why Toyota left F1, aside from failure of results, was extremely little relevance to production cars. The FIA WEC LMP1 category (and Le Mans), as well as WRC both have a lot more production car relevance. Further, current WRC participation is contributing a lot of know-how to next-gen TNGA Yaris development. The IS F, GS F, and RC F all implement a variety of racing technologies. Not only that, they are as reliable as any regular Lexus model. Toyota has long product cycles, so one must also be patient to see the fruits of FIA WEC and WRC participation translate more into production vehicles.

To compare a competitor, it took VW/Audi many years of participation in FIA sportscar/Le Mans and WRC to have those racing technologies gradually filter down and improve their production cars. Even so, many technologies and know-how never made into production VW/Audi models.
 
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Rhambler

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You cannot argue that Toyota and Lexus completely, and I mean completely, missed the performance-car renaissance that's been raging for more than half a decade.

Dodge waged war with its SRT and raised the bar with its Demon. Ford's awesome Mustang GT that is nearly ubiquitous on city streets. Chevy and its Camaro and Corvette. Cadillac with its V and V sport (with the V Sport more than just a badge by the way).

BMW's huge expansion of its M lineup and the addition of the M123 formula (again with real engines that are different from the base models). Likewise with Mercedes' ever-expanding multi-tiered AMG line (also with real engines that are different from the base model) and Audi's S and RS line (again, with real, discrete engines).

Jaguar, Aston, Land Rover, and the list goes on and on. All with engines that can back up their bark. Lexus = zero.

Toyota, one of the largest car companies in the world, missed it and didn't plan for it at all. Their engine-development negligence is here to roost and Gazoo's racing efforts clearly helped...

And, the one car that could have cured all ills, the Supra, isn’t even being developed in house. To me that means they STILL can’t see. Ignorance is bliss I guess and that’s why Gazoo racing is a gigantic waste. What’s the point? That’s my opinion.
 
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