The Supra and GR86 might be twinned with BMW and Subaru models, but Toyota is keen to build a GR model on its own two feet.
Toyota is confident it can build a standalone halo sports car too sit atop its Gazoo Racing (GR) brand, and can do it without the help of a partner like it has with the Supra and GR86.
Speaking to Drive, Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing boss Sean Hanley said the brand can build sports cars independently, not needing to partner with BMW or Subaru like it has done in the past.
“The answer is yes; we can do this [build sports cars] on our own. Why? This is what GR is about, this is exactly what GR is about,” Hanley said.
“But having said that, we learned a lot, and will learn a lot, through our partnerships.
“And BMW they build some seriously good cars, so we don’t take a step back from that relationship at all – it was a good collaboration where we learned an incredible amount about performance cars.
“And hopefully they probably learned a bit from us as well.
“But to answer your question, ‘can I ever see a day where we do our own independent, standalone Toyota Gazoo Racing sports performance car?’ Yes, yes, and yes.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
However, Hanley would not be drawn on whether the new sports car would be another Supra – or a different model – telling Drive the moniker, which will be racing in Supercars next year, carries a lot of weight.
“There’s no plan, but the reality is that Supra has an incredibly strong legacy statement,” Hanley said.
“You never say never [to resurrecting the Supra].”
Toyota’s ambition to build a unique sports car flies in the face of its recent history in sharing platforms and powertrains for the Toyota Supra and GR86, which is partnered with the BMW Z4 and Subaru BRZ respectively.
And while its GR Corolla and GR Yaris are unique to Toyota, the brand has amortised costs by building upon existing hatchback platforms – albeit with major modifications when it comes to the latter – and by sharing components with the Lexus LBX Morizo RR.
Other Japanese brands have also struggled to justify sports cars without sharing arrangements to cut costs.
Nissan’s new Z sports car, a direct rival to the Supra, recycles the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine that debuted in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport – a model that debuted in 2015 – and sits atop a modified version of the FM platform that dates back as far back as the 350Z from 2003.
The current fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 was also used as the basis of the Fiat/Abarth 124 Spider, which shared the same production line in Hiroshima, Japan for three years – albeit the European-badged model features a unique 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine.
Even the reborn Honda Prelude, set to arrive in Australian showrooms next year, borrows heavily from the Civic, featuring the same architecture and hybrid powertrain, as well bits of the Type R for its brakes and suspension set-up.
So, what will a 100 per cent Toyota GR sports car look like?
Rumours of swirled for years that a road-going version of the GR GT3 Concept from the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon will make it to production.
Lexus will likely also get in on the action, the Sport Concept pointing the way for the luxury brand, with a petrol-electric hybrid V8 possible to give it the oomph needed to match the V10-powered LFA’s performance.
With the Tokyo Motor Show in late October, Toyota’s future GR plans could be revealed as soon as next month.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
