It’s been quite a long time since we heard anything significant about Toyota’s upcoming hybrid hypercar, the GR Super Sport. The last bit of news we heard was on the filing of a patent for the supposed canopy of a Toyota vehicle, leading many to believe that work was still definitely underway. Well, it looks like we won’t have to dig any deeper as Toyota themselves have publicly revealed the GR Super Sport for the first time at the opening of the 88th Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe. Driven by former Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Alex Wurz, the GR Super Sport appearance consisted of a demonstration lap and participation ceremony to return the Le Mans trophy for this year’s race.
If anything, the appearance at Le Mans is fitting, especially for a hybrid hypercar that’s based on the successful Toyota TS050 Hybrid race car. Toyota’s TS050 Hybrid race car debuted in 2016 at Le Mans, giving Toyota their first victory and setting the fastest-ever lap and current race lap record. In June of 2018, it was announced that the GR Super Sport would be put into production, utilizing a hybrid-assisted, mid-mounted 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 making a claimed 986 horsepower (735 kilowatts). Expect at least 20 road-going versions of the hypercar to be produced in order to comply with new regulations for the FIA World Endurance Championship, and would essentially the Japanese brand’s halo car.
Arguably, the GR Super Sport has all but been forgotten thanks to the buzz created at the time by the upcoming Toyota Supra. Track testing had started and has been going on for a number of years since its announcement, but it’s great to finally see the GR Super Sport in action in a form that’s getting closer to production.
Expect hypercar pricing, too, with some estimates hitting the $1-million mark. Of course, it’ll be limited in number and will feature more track-focused design features such as a vertical fin and no rear windows.
