This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype
A new Toyota halo model has been spied testing in recent years, and now we've had a closer look at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Toyota is cooking up a super GT car to potentially take the place of the Lexus LC500 on the road and the Lexus RC F GT3 at Le Mans. Previewed by the GR GT3 concept of 2022, it’s still not known exactly when it’ll break cover, but with two prototypes shown at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it seems likely that the development programme is at least on track.
Rumoured to be called LFR, is one of two models expected also to take up the reins of the LFA as a halo model, alongside something resembling the Lexus Electrified Sport concept. What we do know is that it won't be electric, with a V8 sound not dissimilar to that of the 5-litre 2UR-GSE coming from both the road and track variants at Festival of Speed. A V8 GT car introduced in the late 2020s doesn’t quite compute legislatively, but Toyota Motor Company has previously been outspoken in its support for making internal combustion clean, rather than going all in on electric power...
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Visually, it can be best likened so far to a Japanese take on the Mercedes-AMG SLS or Dodge Viper: long bonnet, bluff snout, taut cockpit with a stubby tail. It’s certainly not quite as smooth-flowing or elegant as the LC, with more sporting pretence. The body side is dissected by a crisp split-line that runs alongside from the front arch to terminate at the door handle that also hides away the clamshell shutline, while the front-ends almost faceless aesthetic has a broad opening hiding the headlight elements, with cooling dealt with by a single central opening.
We sorely miss the LC500 and RC F and their ripsnorting V8s. A spiritual successor would be welcomed with open arms. The 2UR GSE V8 has found a new, if unlikely home, following the discontinuation of the V8 road cars, under the bonnet of the Toyota Supra that’s due to enter the Australian Supercars Championship.
Toyota and Lexus had denied all knowledge of the project until Goodwood Festival of Speed, and while details are still thin on the ground, rumours suggest that the racer will compete in the 2026 WEC and IMSA seasons. What does that mean for a potential road car? Well, it’s not unheard of for the race version of a model to be permitted on track before the road car is in production. Nevertheless, a debut during the same model year as its racing introduction, for the road car, is most likely.
