{"id":825848,"date":"2026-07-26T23:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/825848\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T23:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T23:51:11","slug":"toyota-gr-gt-v8-spied-in-two-new-versions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/825848\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota GR GT V8 spied in two new versions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The V8-powered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-news\/2027-toyota-gr-gt-hybrid-v8-sports-car-revealed-alongside-gt3-race-car\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Toyota GR GT<\/a> was unveiled in December last year, but it now appears multiple showroom versions are being readied after two distinct prototypes were spied testing in Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Due in Japanese showrooms in 2027, Toyota\u2019s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo hybrid-powered flagship sports car has attracted interest from Toyota Australia, which has said it would like to offer the model locally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-news\/toyota-gr-gt-v8-sports-car-closer-to-australian-showrooms\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">should it become available<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Spy photographers captured two heavily camouflaged prototypes lapping Germany&#8217;s famed N\u00fcrburgring Nordschleife, whose undulating 20.8km circuit is used by automakers to finetune vehicle dynamics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The two cars wore noticeably different aerodynamic packages and equipment, suggesting Toyota is developing multiple road-going versions of the GR GT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"_1ivmml5hv _1ivmml5d _1ivmml5pj _1ivmml56 _1ivmml5n\">Looking for your next car?<\/p>\n<p class=\"nb3b4e7 _1ivmml5hv _1ivmml5d _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52\">CarExpert can help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-chooser\" class=\"_1isa4f20 nb3b4e8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/compare-cars\" class=\"_1isa4f20 nb3b4e8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">compare<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/buy\" class=\"_1isa4f20 nb3b4e8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">buy<\/a> so you choose with confidence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The more restrained prototype featured a smaller rear wing than the show car unveiled last year \u2013 and different to the GR GT seen at this month&#8217;s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK \u2013 finished in what appears to be exposed carbon-fibre rather than body colour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Its rear wing also featured a different upper lip, or Gurney flap, with a black strip that was absent from the uncamouflaged Goodwood car, further suggesting an optional aerodynamic package or higher-specification variant is on the way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">There are also changes at the front, where bumper-mounted canards designed to increase downforce are fitted. These are another feature not seen on the show car.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">A second GR GT prototype spied testing wore a far more aggressive aerodynamic package, pointing to a more track-focused variant, while still retaining enough production-car elements to indicate it is not the GT3 race car Toyota will campaign in international motorsport.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_1ivmml51gy _1ivmml51yg _1ivmml514 _1u8h4qz8\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/toyota-gr-gt-toyota-gr-gt3-goodwood-2026-joe-harding-1.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A black Toyota GR GT supercar leads a red Toyota GR GT3 race car along the circuit at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with hay bales and spectators visible in the background.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_1ivmml51gy _1ivmml51yg _1ivmml514 _1u8h4qz8\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/toyota-gr-gt-toyota-gr-gt3-goodwood-2026-joe-harding-2.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Three high-performance sports cars, including a Toyota GR GT and GR GT3, seen from the rear as they drive up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with crowds watching from the sidelines.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The race car&#8217;s large vented bonnet has been replaced by a more road-friendly design, although the towering rear wing appears to have been retained. Production-style alloy wheels, lighting, bumpers and glazing also remain, distinguishing it from the competition car.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">At the rear, the prototype features a more production-ready diffuser and appears to incorporate a rear-facing camera.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The\u00a0GR\u00a0in the GT&#8217;s name stands for Gazoo Racing, Toyota&#8217;s performance and motorsport division, which the company last year identified as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-news\/futuristic-toyota-corolla-among-several-concepts-previewed-in-japan\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">one of its five strategic global brands<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">The GR GT will spearhead that expansion in an engineering-led package centred on its new V8 hybrid powertrain,\u00a0designed as a race car first and a road car second.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Meanwhile, Lexus appears set to move its future flagship sports cars towards electrification. That has prompted some enthusiasts to view the GR GT as a spiritual successor to the V10-powered Lexus LFA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Gazoo Racing branding already features across Toyota&#8217;s Formula 1 partnership with Haas, its World Rally Championship program with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/toyota\/yaris\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">GR Yaris<\/a> hatchback, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/toyota\/supra\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Supra<\/a> Supercars campaign in Australia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">Toyota Australia has also said its ongoing strategic review of Gazoo Racing&#8217;s local presence could lead to dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-news\/toyota-could-launch-standalone-gr-dealerships-in-australia-and-abroad\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Toyota Gazoo Racing showrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">That would see Toyota join other Japanese performance brands expanding their retail presence in Australia, with Nissan set to open the world&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/car-news\/nissan-to-open-first-nismo-performance-centre-in-australia\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">first Nismo centre outside Japan<\/a> in Melbourne later this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"m7p3v71 _1ivmml5pq _1ivmml52 _1ivmml5d _1ivmml53fc _1ivmml53l6 _1ivmml53zy _1ivmml545s\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carexpert.com.au\/toyota\" class=\"_87i7r20 _87i7r21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Explore the Toyota showroom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The V8-powered Toyota GR GT was unveiled in December last year, but it now appears multiple showroom versions&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":["post-825848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}