The Toyota GR GT3 Sounds Angry During Wet Track Test

A Lexus-badged road car is planned.

Toyota GR GT3 screenshot from spy video

Adrian Padeanu

By: Adrian Padeanu

May 30, 2024 at 6:28am ET

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Remember the GR GT3 Concept? We do. It debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2022 as a preview for the aging Lexus RC F GT3 successor. It won't officially go racing until the 2026 season, but a camouflaged prototype has now been spotted in Belgium. The mean and lean Toyota machine was seen in action on a wet Spa-Francorchamps.

The GR GT3 has previously been filmed testing in Japan at the Motegi track as well as at the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway. It has now touched down in Europe with its huge rear wing and wide hips. To get an idea of what's hiding beneath the disguise, we've attached images of the concept at the bottom of this page.

A little bit of rain didn't stop the test driver from pushing the race car around the challenging 4.3-mile circuit. The GR GT3 is relevant for another equally important reason since it'll spawn a road-going Lexus version. This isn't hearsay, it's a fact. About a year ago, Toyota WEC team director Rob Leupe told our sister site Motorsport.com:

"The date [2026] is in alignment with the road car side, which is following the philosophy of Toyota to have a motorsport-bred car on the road. This is moving forward at the moment." When asked about whether it would have the Lexus badge, Leupe said: "At the moment, it seems to be. It depends on how it develops within Toyota, but at the moment, yes."

Lexus or Toyota, what's really important here is that there will be a license plate on a new sports car. It'll likely be powered by a big ol' V-8 engine judging by the throaty exhaust note. Motorsport reports the race version was supposed to have its debut for the 2025 season but was pushed back by a year due to hurdles in the development of the street-legal car. It's already been two and a half years since the concept debuted.

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In February 2024, Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson told SportsCar365 that "the timeline [for the car's launch] is still 2026-ish, and development continues to go well. The homologation has to be done and there are a lot of steps involved. Everything is going to plan, but you have to leave yourselves a bit of leeway."

Wilson suggested the race debut could take place at the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours. Hopefully, we'll see the road-going model sooner.