V8-powered Toyota GT Concepts preview new sports cars for track and road

Toyota has revealed both road and race versions of its new flagship performance coupe wrapped in heavy camouflage at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK on the weekend. 

No official images or information has been released by the Japanese automaker, which used Goodwood to show off a pair of disguised V8-powered sports cars, including a hardcore race car that could wear Toyota badges and a road-going version that may be badged as the Lexus LFR.

One looks like a worthy showroom successor to the Ferrari-rivaling, limited-edition Lexus LFA hypercar, the other a track-ready GT3 version of the next Toyota GR Supra that’s already spied in testing multiple times in Europe. 

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While both were driven up the famous British hill climb in a series of demonstration runs, Toyota was coy on the details – including the auto brand/s, model name/s and engine/s of the low-slung, wide-bodied sports cars. 

At this stage Toyota and its luxury brand say they remain “brand agnostic” about the new flagship super coupe, but at its Goodwood exhibit – attended by CarExpert – Toyota labelled the cars as ‘Toyota GT Concept’ and ‘Toyota GT Racing Concept’.

A YouTube clip posted by Toyota Global also referred to the two cars as “Toyota’s all-new sports cars”. 

The deliberate vagueness points to the car running under two different names: the road-going model as the Lexus LFR (the long-awaited successor to the legendary V10-engined Lexus LFA hypercar), and the race car as the track-only GT3 version of the next-generation Toyota Supra.

At the 2022 Tokyo motor show, Toyota revealed the Gazoo Racing GT3 Concept, a dedicated racer designed to be sold to teams for the sports car-based GT3 motorsport category – which in Australia includes the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race, won earlier this year by BMW. 

The Goodwood GT Racing Concept – clearly not street-legal with its extreme aero package and extras including a large bonnet intake, sliding side windows, bigger race wheels and brakes, Michelin slick tyres and centrally-mounted rear spoiler, builds on the 2022 concept.

The racer has been spied testing on iconic European race circuits including Spa Francorchamps in Belgium and the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.

The timing suggests it will replace the race version of the Lexus RC F, which is currently eligible for the GT3 category until the end of next year, indicating a 2026 reveal and a 2027 race debut for the Goodwood racing concept.

Production of the road-going Lexus RC F is due to end in late 2025, and the mid-size performance coupe has not been available in Australia since 2021. 

We expect similar timing for the arrival of the more sanitised – yet far from pedestrian – GT Concept as a street-legal production car in showrooms. It has also been spied track testing and on public roads in California.

If the concept is an accurate rendition of the production version, the road-going model’s long, wide and low-slung two-door body will still feature aggressive front and rear bumpers comprising massive front air intakes, but more showroom-friendly bonnet vents and a much smaller rear lip spoiler.

As you can see from the interior image of the GT Concept posted by the Goodwood FoS, which we’ve lightened to show more details, its cabin features two deeply sculpted bucket seats flanking a large central console bridge, at the front of which is a tablet-style multimedia screen, and a bright crimson red colourway.

The engine in both cars at Goodwood – which clearly made all the guttural sounds of a V8 – has also not been disclosed, but it could be a further development of the 5.0-litre V8 (codenamed 2UR-GSE) that powered the road-going RC F. 

It’s also found under the bonnet of the Lexus LC500 grand touring coupe and convertible, production of which is also expected to end in 2026.

The GT3 ruleset for 2027 has not yet been locked in and may include mandatory hybridisation as part of a push for more ‘road-car relevance’.

The road-going Lexus LFR could emply a hybrid twin-turbo V8 powertrain regardless of the race rules.

The V8 will also be used by Toyota Australia in local Supercars competition, with Ryan Walkinshaw confirming his team – Walkinshaw Andretti United – is planning its first Toyota GR Supra track test in late August ahead of its 2026 switch from its current Ford Mustang. 

Lexus has trademarked the LFR name in Europe, and the Japanese luxury brand would almost certainly make its new flagship sports car available in Australia following its global launch by 2027.

The previous Lexus LFA was priced at $700,000 before on-road costs when it was sold in Australia between 2011 and 2012, with only 10 of 500 examples available globally landing here.

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