Toyota GR GT is a "road-legal race car"

• New flagship Toyota sports car
• Powered by 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
• 650PS, 850Nm of torque
• All-aluminium body frame

Toyota has jumped back into the sports car game with a new hybrid V8-powered machine – the Toyota GR GT.

Unveiled alongside its racing equivalent, the GR GT3, the new car makes no bones about being, in Toyota's words, "a road-legal race car" promising big performance and a rivalry with cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Mercedes-AMG GT.

It's powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine with at least 650PS (that number could go up by the time it goes on sale), coupled to an electric motor, making it a full hybrid. The rear-wheel-drive supercar is still in development, with engineers chasing a top speed of at least 199mph.

2027 Toyota GR GT price and release date

Toyota has so far only shown the GR GT in prototype form, and there's no news yet on price or release date, save that it should be on sale around 2027.

2027 Toyota GR GT styling, interior and technology

The new Toyota GR GT is a large car, measuring 4823mm in length, 2000mm in width and a height of 1195mm. Its frame is all aluminium with carbon fibre-reinforced plastic panels to keep the weight down – despite its size, Toyota says it will weigh 1750kg or less when it launches. There's double wishbone suspension front and back with carbon-ceramic brakes under 20-inch alloy wheels.

It's a strict two-seater, with a short tail and a long bonnet housing the engine with lots of aerodynamic features that are very much about performance rather than just for looks.

Inside there's a simple but not spartan layout, with Recaro sports seats, digital instrument panel and a central infotainment touchscreen. Practicality is likely to be an afterthought, although there is a storage space between the seats.

2027 Toyota GR GT engine, gearbox and performance

The Toyota GR GT is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with a single-motor hybrid motor integrated into the transaxle and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The power and torque figures are quotes as 650PS and 850Nm "or greater", suggesting than more oomph could yet be eked from the system.

The car is rear-wheel drive with a 55/45 weight split front to back.