Patent Images Reveal What the Production Toyota GR GT3 Supercar Might Look Like
Last January, around the time of the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota Gazoo Racing related a corporate desire to “commercialize motorsports cars” rather than relegating them to concepts in a press release. Like most proclamations made in PR blasts, it was easy to read with a healthy, depressing dose of skepticism, especially after Toyota appeared to quietly shut down development of the GR Super Sport road car in 2021.
Thankfully, this case might be one of the outliers, because patent images of a wingless version of the GR GT3 show car have been discovered on the European Union Intellectual Property Office website by Carscoops.
Image: Toyota
The images show the car from all angles with the GR GT3’s design mostly intact, save for the loss of that dramatic rear wing and a diffuser that’s not quite as deep as the concept’s.
Now, it’s worth reiterating the same advice that should accompany all patent filings: IP documents are never guarantees of products in development, let alone that they’ll see the light of day. However, coupled with Toyota’s stated intent to sell cars like the GT3 and the brand’s newfound passion for enthusiast-minded products, I think we’re allowed to get a little excited.
Image: Toyota
Of the many questions that remain, one is what badge the eventual production GT3 car would wear. Toyota Racing Development has been candid about the reality that the existing Lexus RC F was not originally designed for competition in mind, and that’s capped the chassis’ competitiveness.
We already know that the next-gen RC F will pull cues from the GT3 concept, too. So there’s reason to believe the resulting supercar could slot into either make’s lineup, perhaps even both depending on the racing series and region.
I say it every time Toyota unveils a new performance car, but who would have thought 15 years ago that eventually, Subaru would give up on the WRX STI and Toyota would have an enthusiast offering at every accessible price bracket, and maybe a couple homologation specials, too. Try going back in time and informing your younger, less-disillusioned self that.
