At the recent 24-hour race in Le Mans most of the public attention – if we do not count the race – went towards BMW, which introduced a new 8 series. But there was also an important novelty from Japanese Toyota: a Hybrid concept car, which could serve as the basis for a new sport car.
For the time being, the newcomer has a very long name Toyota GR Super Sport Concept. It was manufactured by the Toyota Racing Department Gazoo Racing, which two years ago also took care of the current TS050 Hybrid LMP1. Both cars share quite a bit of technology. Similarities begin already with the powertrain, which is essentially the same for both cars.
But behind the driver's back seats the most important part of the newcomer. The 2.4-liter V6 engine with two turbochargers is combined with an electric motor to produce as much as 735 kilowatts of combined power.
Whether the car will ever see production is not yet known. But some details about the project have been revealed by Shigeki Tomoyama, President of the Racing Department of the Gazoo, who said: "Competing in the World Endurance Championship – one of the most demanding motorsports series – and racing at Le Mans – one of the most iconic races – helps us to advance the development of our world-leading hybrid electric technology and enables us to transfer the knowledge we gain into our production cars. At some point in the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine and experience its astonishing power and driving performance."
