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Toyota’s Sports Car Offensive: Previewing the GR GT, GT3, and Lexus LFA Lineup By Edward Loh Manufacturer | Photographer December 08, 2025 !Lexus LFA Concept 001 Just a few hours after the grand unveiling of Toyota’s “holy trinity” of high-performance vehicles—the Lexus LFA Concept, the GR GT road car, and the GR GT3 race car—we had the privilege of getting up close with these machines. We also attended technical briefings with chief program manager Takashi Doi and engineering teams covering chassis, powertrain, design, and aerodynamics. We asked plenty of questions and learned some fascinating details, although sometimes through deflection and non-answers. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that Toyota plans to milk every milestone and waypoint on the journey of these vehicles from their debut to the moment keys are handed to customers. The company is positioning these sports cars as the torchbearers of Japanese automotive craftsmanship, a symbolic link to its past, and a clear signal to the future. GR GT: Pricing, Performance, and Purpose The Toyota GR GT is slated to hit the road in 2027, likely hitting dealerships as a 2028 model. It serves as the homologated version of the GR GT3 race car. While the racer may appear shortly thereafter, history shows that these cars sometimes go racing long before their homologation siblings are ready for street use, as we’ve seen with the latest Ford GT. Pricing and Market Positioning After repeated questions about the GR GT’s price, project manager Doi invited us to compare it with rivals like the Porsche 911 GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT models with similar specifications. Using the GR GT’s claimed 641 hp and 3,858-pound curb weight, we arrive at a power-to-weight ratio of 6.0 lb/hp. Here are some high-performance GTs with comparable figures: | Vehicle | Curb Weight | Horsepower | Weight/Power | Base Price | | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | | 2028 Toyota GR GT | 3,858 lb | 641 hp | 6.0 lb/hp | N/A | | 2026 Porsche 911 GT3 | 3,278 lb | 502 hp | 6.2 lb/hp | $235,500 | | 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S | 3,859 lb | 701 hp | 5.5 lb/hp | $275,650 | | 2026 AMG GT Pro 4Matic | 4,299 lb | 603 hp | 7.1 lb/hp | $202,200 | | 2026 Aston Martin Vantage S | 3,847 lb | 671 hp | 5.7 lb/hp | $235,000 | \Note: Porsche 911 Turbo S and AMG GT Pro models include all-wheel drive.\ Based on this competitive set, it appears highly likely that the GR GT will be priced at more than $200,000. Performance Modes and Future Variants The GR GT features a complex hybrid powertrain with a mechanical limited-slip differential (LSD), designed to offer highly engaging driving dynamics and those satisfying tire-smoking shenanigans. The big question: will it drift? More specifically, will there be a drift mode? Doi-san confirmed his team is working on different driving modes but declined to specify their names. A look at the GR GT’s steering wheel offers some clues. A knob on the right includes the words “Sport Boost,” suggesting a power-enhancing feature. Mirroring this on the lower left is a traction/stability control button labeled “TRC/VSC” with “Off” written below. When asked if drivers could completely disable traction and stability control, Doi eventually confirmed they could. Looking ahead, we inquired about potential future higher-performance models, such as a Nürburgring Edition (similar to the one released at the end of the Lexus LFA’s production run), GRMN (Meister of Nürburgring), GT R, or GT3 RS versions. Doi replied, “Obviously we can’t talk about future product, but variations and improvements is something we’re always looking for. And that’s crucial, very important for a sports car.” The Nürburgring Nordschleife: Humiliation to Redemption Regarding the famed Nürburgring, Akio “Master Driver Morizo” Toyoda, the driving force behind Gazoo Racing and grandson of Toyota’s founder, stood in front of a massive video wall displaying the word ‘humiliation’ in capital letters during the GR GT and GR GT3 unveiling. He spoke at length about the development laps he experienced at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Toyota sports cars (notably including a fourth-generation Supra), being passed by faster, better-handling sports cars, mostly from Germany. !Akio Toyoda presenting GR GT and friends It was this quintessentially Japanese concept of using humiliation as a catalyst for improvement that drove the development of the GR GT and GT3. When asked about the importance of the Nürburgring and if the team is targeting a specific lap time—say, under 7 minutes, as recently set by the Mustang GTD (6:52), Corvette ZR1 (6:50), and Corvette ZR1X (6:49)—Doi declined to confirm. However, he did affirm the significance of the ’Ring to Toyota, the GR brand, and the company’s motorsports programs, reiterating Akio’s position that the GR GT would not be the one getting passed on the Green Hell. Given the modesty and humility typical of Japanese automotive engineers, we consider this a declaration that the GR GT will achieve a sub-7-minute lap, especially since various 911 GT3 and AMG GT models have all dipped well below that benchmark. Lexus LFA: Pricing, Availability, and EV Evolution If you admire the design of the LFA and are curious about its arrival date and price, prepare for some waiting. “Several years” was the consistent refrain from Toyota representatives, including Doi-san. As for the price, we believe the new LFA will need to come in considerably lower than the original. The first-generation LFA debuted in 2010 at a staggering $375,000 and concluded production a couple of years later at $445,000 for the LFA Nürburgring Edition. !HERO Lexus LFA concept Doi-san acknowledged that the world has changed since Lexus’ V-10 supercar departed and that coming back as an EV complicates matters. This appears to be a subtle implication that the next-generation LFA must be priced below $350,000. We think it must be substantially less for a couple of reasons. The market for luxury sports coupes is already minuscule, and there are currently no electric sports coupes priced above $200,000. A few electric luxury and performance cars exist north of $200,000—such as the Lucid Air Sapphire, Rolls-Royce Spectre, and Cadillac Celestiq—but none fit the competitive profile of the LFA. Moving into the electric hypercar realm of the Rimac Nevera and Lotus Evija takes you to $2.3 to $2.4 million, which is decidedly not Lexus territory. About the only competitor that comes close to the mission Lexus seems to be attempting is the second-generation Tesla Roadster, rumored to be in the $200,000 to $250,000 range—if Elon’s vaporware ever materializes. The Lexus LFA as a Solid-State Battery Flagship? However, there is one complicating factor that could push the LFA into a very pricey, exotic flagship category for Lexus: the potential use of solid-state battery (SSB) technology. No one at the event would confirm this under direct questioning. What we do know is that Toyota has been working on solid-state batteries since 2020, following a joint venture with Panasonic named Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc. In 2024, Toyota released an update on its battery plans, indicating SSB technology would arrive between 2027 and 2028 with a range of 621 miles (1,000 km) and recharging times of approximately 10 minutes. Obviously, this level of battery performance would represent a massive technological leap—exactly what Lexus may be seeking in its flagship sports car. It could also potentially solve a major packaging problem in the electric LFA. The current best practice in global EV manufacturing is to place the heavy battery cells, bundled in packs or modules, as low as possible in the vehicle’s floor. This usually occupies all the space between the wheels, sometimes extending beyond them. This approach, pioneered in production by Tesla with the Model S and adopted by nearly every major EV since, creates a skateboard chassis. Keeping heavy batteries low is a sound strategy for both packaging and handling. For handling, it keeps the center of gravity low, giving EVs that planted feeling when changing direction. But there are two