Toyota’s hybrid hypercar has made its public debut ahead of its participation in the new Le Mans Hypercar series next year.
The Toyota GR Super Sport, first revealed at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon, was previewed in convertible form at the 88th Le Mans 24 Hours over the weekend.
Driven by former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz, it wore Gazoo Racing’s distinctive camouflage livery.
Based on Toyota’s three-time Le Mans-winning TS050 Hybrid race car, the GR Super Sport will be homologated for road use.
FIA regulations allow manufacturers to choose between developing a vehicle specifically for competition or modifying an existing hypercar in their line-up, though companies are required to produce 25 vehicles used for road use complete with the engine used in competition.
The all-wheel drive GR Super Sport concept packed a mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged 2.4-litre V6 petrol engine mated to an electric motor, just like the TS050, with a total system output of 735kW of power.
Revised regulations, however, require Le Mans Hypercar vehicles to have a maximum output of 500kW of power.
At the concept’s debut, Gazoo Racing president Shigeki Tomoyama said, “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.”
Toyota confirmed in 2019 it was going to enter the hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship with a vehicle based on the GR Super Sport concept.
It’ll go up against, among others, Peugeot’s recently revealed hypercar. Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has also confirmed it’s participating in the Le Mans Hypercar series next year.
