This past weekend we reported that Toyota might finally unveil its long-awaited LFA successor after we spotted a teaser billboard at Fuji Speedway that featured close-up shots of the upcoming halo car alongside a 2000GT and the LFA. Instead, Monday’s presentation focused on a radical new four-seat Toyota Century coupe concept, a surprising all-electric Corolla concept and a luxury minivan concept from Lexus. Still, there’s good news as we now have a firm date for Toyota’s upcoming halo performance car.
During the LIVE stream, CEO Akio Toyoda confirmed that the Gazoo Racing brand supercar will make its global debut before the end of the year. A public unveiling is planned for the Tokyo Auto Salon 2026 (January 9th – 11th). This will be Gazoo Racing’s first supercar, and the announcement ends months of speculation and confirms what enthusiasts have been waiting for: the company’s return to the supercar space.
We actually saw this prototype driving up the hill earlier this year in camouflaged form at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Its aggressive stance, sharp LED signature and distinctive V8 soundtrack gave us a strong taste of what’s to come.
However, there was some confusion about Toyota’s long-term performance car plans in August when Lexus unveiled the Sport Concept during Monterey Car Week at The Quail that bore a strong resemblance to a model shown during Toyota’s mega concept presentation in 2021. This car sparked widespread speculation about it could will be the long-rumored LFA successor, possibly called the Lexus LFR. Another prototype was then seen in comparison to an AMG-GT, this time in California.
However, recent developments suggest that Toyota and Lexus are pursuing completely separate paths. While the Lexus Sport Concept is likely a taste of an electrified grand tourer, the upcoming GR GT is shaping up to be a pure Gazoo Racing creation. Technical details are unconfirmed at this point, but reports suggest Toyota will use a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged, front-engined V8 working with electric motors as Toyota continues to focus on hybrid performance.
The upcoming flagship appears to be heavily influenced by the 2022 GR GT3 concept, a racing underpinning that has been spotted in both road-going and track-focused prototype forms. Common design elements include the LED lighting signature and deep air intakes, while the racing variant features additional aero components, side exhausts and additional lighting clusters.
For enthusiasts, the unveiling of the GR GT in December could mark the start of a new era for the Japanese automaker, with Toyota back in the conversation when it comes to high-end exotic performance cars.
Image source: Toyota
