Currently reading: Lexus shows Vantage-rivalling V8 supercar for first time

Supercar will be made to homologate the firm's GT3 racer and is expected to weigh around 1300kg

A new V8 Lexus supercar that will rival the likes of the Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT has been officially shown for the first time.

The GT Concept is the homologated variant of the incoming GT3 GR hardcore racer – itself revealed in concept form in 2022 – and both took to the hillclimb at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed.

The road-going GT3 GR – spotted by spy photographers over the past few months – is likely to wear a Lexus badge, rather than a Toyota one, in keeping with the premium brand’s history of large-engined sports cars, including the LFA, LC 500 and RC F.

As such, it is thought to preview what could be the spiritual successor to the acclaimed LFA – and may take the LFR name.

A production version of the GT Concept (previewed below by Autocar) is likely to hit showrooms at the end of 2026 and will be created because FIA homologation rules dictate that any GT3 racer shares its basic body design with a related road car. Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche all currently sell GT3 customer cars.

Toyota has previously said it will continue “commercialising motorsports cars rather than simply adapting production vehicles for use in motorsports”, as it did with the rally-honed GR Yaris hot hatchback.

Running up the Goodwood hill, the soundtrack of the GT3 prototype - with a huge rear wing - is unmistakably that of a highly strung V8, but the quieter road car mule suggests it will add some type of hybrid assistance, most likely  to meet ever-stringent emission regulations.

Currently, no GR models use a hybrid powertrain, but the performance division is extensively testing the technology. Speaking to Autocar last year, Hiroyuki Yamada, a GR engineer working on the project, said: “We can use hybrid for future cars. We will use it in our motorsport activities in the future, because of emissions.

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“We will apply [this technology] to both motorsport and passenger [car] engines. In the future, we want a more fuel-efficient engine [for GR cars].”

The plan to fit GR models with hybrid power has been long mooted by Toyota. In 2023, chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima told Autocar: “Hybrid systems are always a good solution for environmental cars, not just for passenger cars but for sporty cars as well.” 

No specifications of the road car have been released yet but the race car will produce around 500-600bhp and weigh no more than 1300kg, in line with GT3 regulations. With the addition of a hybrid system, the road car is expected to produce closer to 700bhp as it vies with with the recently revealed 671bhp Aston Martin Vantage S.

Gazoo Racing boss Masahito Watanabe recently told Autocar that Toyota is pursuing a “multi-pathway” approach for sports cars, rather than investing in all-out electrification. He said: “We still think the internal combustion engine has some potential and, as we do so, we will of course be trying to comply with all the applicable rules according to the regions in each country.

“But we don’t want to give up. It’s not over just yet, because if you look at the internal combustion engine, there’s still hydrogen combustion that can be a part of that zero-emission line-up. So I think that’s going to continue.”

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Lexus has retired its RC and LC coupés in Europe and hasn’t officially commented on plans for any replacements, although the outlandish Electrified Sport concept that it revealed in 2021 emphasises its continued commitment to performance cars.

That concept, which is due to reach production by the end of the decade, is electric rather than V8-powered. But it has been confirmed to share its carbonfibre monocoque underpinnings with Toyota’s GR GT3 concept and has a similar cab-rearward silhouette, which suggests the possibility for Lexus to offer two closely related supercars – based on the same chassis but using totally different powertrains – within the next five years.

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Will Rimell

Will Rimell Autocar
Title: News editor

Will is Autocar's news editor.​ His focus is on setting Autocar's news agenda, interviewing top executives, reporting from car launches, and unearthing exclusives.

As part of his role, he also manages Autocar Business – the brand's B2B platform – and Haymarket's aftermarket publication CAT.

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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artill 10 July 2025

The outline looks great. I am sure it will be fantastic, but Lexus need an appealing car in the normal price range already. Just have a look at what they currently offer. All SUV, bar one soon to die FWD saloon, and an odd people carrier. Compared to a few years ago with IS, GS, RC, LC and LS, RWD saloons and Coupes, they dont have anything appealing or interesting. 

jason_recliner 20 June 2024

As good as Lexus is (they're probably the best engineered mass-produced passenger vehicles), this isn't going to weigh under 1,300kg :-( 

johnfaganwilliams 17 June 2024

So what was the Lexus LMGT3 V8 running at Le Mans yesterday? Just asking.