The Lexus RC F GT3 has been racing since 2017, but it will be replaced by Toyota’s new GR GT3, which meets FIA GT3 specifications. Given the GR GT’s public release timeline, Toyota’s silence on when the GR GT3 will race suggests it won’t happen before the 2027 season. Along with factory work, Toyota suggested creating a support system for customer groups that want to compete with the GR GT3. It’s not often that we get to see a new race car’s first showing. In fact, we know that Toyota has been working on this car in secret for a long time. That part has not been shown much. Still, this doesn’t lessen the excitement for the big reveal of the new GR GT3 race car. As the name suggests, the GR GT3 is built on Toyota Gazoo Racing’s new GR GT halo car. To participate in the world’s top GT racing category, client teams—and possibly a factory-backed effort—will use the GT3 version, an FIA GT3-spec race vehicle. Toyota hasn’t shared every detail about the GT3’s engine, but we do know that the road version and the GT3 will share many parts. This is like a 4.0-liter V-8 twin-turbo engine with dry-sump lubrication and rear-wheel drive. There is one electric motor in the transaxle of the road vehicle, but there isn’t one in the race car because GT3 rules don’t allow it. The GR GT and GR GT3 must share the same basic frame due to GT3 rules. In this case, both the road car and the race vehicle have the same aluminum spaceframe chassis. Toyota also adopted a front-and-rear unequal-length control-arm suspension, enabling parts to be used across multiple models. It’s not clear when the GR GT3 will take over for the Lexus RC F GT3 in different competitions. Since the car that you can drive on the road isn’t coming out until late next year, the GR GT3 race should not happen before 2027.
