
Amidst a wave of electrification and car enthusiasts bemoaning the rise of dull tech-heavy vehicles, Toyota has unveiled a fierce contender: a V8-powered sports car.
On December 4, just outside of Fuji, Japan, within the automaker’s Woven City, the Toyota Gazoo Racing GR GT made its debut. The power source? A new, freshly designed, in-house engineered, and constructed twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain. And folks, it sounds incredibly appealing.
The sound? Upon ignition, it emits a fleeting Japanese wail but swiftly transitions to a low idle. There’s no pronounced burble, and this is certainly not an aggressive cam setup. Fans of lumpy idles might find it lacking.
Pushing the V8 to its limits, which don’t worry, we did, delivers a gratifying and characteristically smooth tone. It’s mellow compared to some standards. This doesn’t wail like a flat-six or roar like a Detroit V8. If a Lexus V8 moaned, it could be likened to this—smooth, nearly subdued, yet just a hint uncorked.
The most fitting description I’ve come up with is that Toyota has delivered a refined gentleman’s battle cry at full throttle.
Anyone yearning for the Yamaha-tuned scream of the LFA’s V10 will likely find this underwhelming. This GR does not shout like that.
The essentials: The 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 features a hot V configuration with an undisclosed (for now) boost providing an initial estimate of 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.
However, the engine isn’t solely responsible here. An electric motor placed between the carbon fiber driveshaft and the in-house designed, engineered, and built 8-speed automatic transmission contributes torque fill and power to the mix, although the exact amount remains undisclosed at this time.
Naturally, the vehicles we interacted with were hand-crafted early prototypes and merely represent future production vehicles. But production is approximately a year away, and development is ongoing. It’s uncertain whether the final vehicles will even sound exactly like this. For now, Toyota has introduced the world to a new refined-sounding V8.
Toyota covered travel, accommodation, and raw fish that I certainly did not consume to present this first-hand account.
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