Break out the Michael Scott ‘it’s happening’ gif – Toyota has given us a tiny glimpse at its upcoming sports car, and there’s a chance we could see it as soon as next week. The manufacturer has launched a website teasing multiple projects ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show that kicks off later this month, and it looks increasingly likely that we could see the car as part of that.
Ahead of this, the company has taken to its Japanese X account to unveil a new billboard at the Fuji Speedway circuit, showing the company’s two previous flagship front-engined sports cars – the Toyota 2000GT from the 1960s and the Lexus LFA from the last decade – along with what’s almost certainly part of their spiritual successor.
The existence of the car is no secret. Being developed to give Toyota a new basis to go GT3 racing as well as functioning as a halo car for its portfolio of brands, it was first previewed by the GR GT3 concept three years ago, and has been testing in both roadgoing and racing forms, with two prototypes making a very public appearance at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
All signs point to a front-engined sports car with classic grand tourer proportions, likely powered by a twin-turbo V8 hybrid system. It’s still not been made clear what badge or badges the car will wear – both Toyota GR GT3 and Lexus LFR are being floated as possible names. This billboard teaser, though, features GR badging, seemingly confirming that, in Japan at least, it’ll be a Toyota, as the Gazoo Racing name has never appeared on a Lexus.
The livestream taking place on Monday (starting at a painful 5am UK time) could give us information on a whole lot more than just the GR GT3/LFR. The thumbnail includes the logos of Toyota as well as multiple brands under its umbrella – Lexus, Century, GR and Daihatsu. Given how many different projects the carmaker’s thought to be working on, from a new Celica to a production version of the Century GRMN SUV to a ‘baby’ Land Cruiser, it’s possible we’ll have a much clearer picture after Monday.
The sports car, though, is undeniably set to be the centrepiece of these upcoming projects for enthusiasts. Hopefully, we’ll finally see it in full on Monday, but if not, the Tokyo Motor Show, opening on 30 October, now seems like a dead cert for an unveiling.
