Is A Road-Going Toyota GR GT3 Concept In The Works?

New patent images could hint at a production version of the Toyota GR GT3 concept. The leaked drawings show a toned-down shape compared to those we saw in January, losing its giant race-car wing. It looks much more like a road-going production version, getting Toyota fans hot under the collar.

The original teaser images of the Toyota GR GT3 were released alongside teasers for a hardcore version of the GR Yaris which eventually turned out to be the GRMN Yaris. Rumours have been circulating for quite some time that the GR GT3 could finally end up in the hands of the public, too - no racing gloves required.

It has a long bonnet, a low roofline sweeping towards the rear of the car, and a general sense of meanness about it. Some of its design cues, including the vents which extend beneath the rear lights, are reminiscent of the Lexus LFA, leading to speculation it could be released under Lexus branding. TRD (Toyota Racing Development) boss David Wilson has said that the next Lexus RC will take many styling cues from and be heavily influenced by the GR GT3 concept.

Toyota has said precious little about it, save for one very important statement:

“As was the case with the GR Yaris, by commercialising motorsports cars rather than simply adapting production vehicles for use in motorsports, TGR intends to use feedback and technologies refined through participation in various motorsports activities to develop both GT3 and mass-production cars and further promote making ever-better motorsports-bred cars.”

You see, GT3 rules stipulate the existence of a road car - you can’t just turn up with a prototype. Normally, manufacturers will base their GT racing contender on a current production car, but Toyota is doing things the other way around, a little like what Mercedes did with the GT1-dominating CLK GTR back in the 1990s.

Toyota will be creating a racing car first and spinning off the road car from that. The pair will act as big brothers to the road-going GR Supra and the GR Supra GT4. No timeframes for either car have been divulged, but we’ll be watching this space with great interest.