PROTOTYPE – Toyota’s next level GR Super Sport hypercar breaks cover.
OK, so Le Mans is over, Toyota has won three in a row, LMP1 has come to an end and it’s a new hypercar future for the World Endurance Championship. But what’s that all about?
Well, here’s the first evidence. Meet Toyota’s next level GR Super Sport hypercar. This camouflaged open-top prototype of the future road and race car snuck out at Le Mans before the era-ending big race.
Former F1 racer Alex Wurz took the machine based on the now redundant triple Le Mans-winning TS050 Hybrid WEC racer for a spin. “To return the Le Mans trophy to race organisers’.
First shown as a 2018 concept, the GR Super Sport is described as a hypercar with a racing pedigree and performance. It will form the basis of Toyota’s next Le Mans racer in the new e LMH Hypercar class from 2021.
500kW hybrid Le Mans HYPERCAR rules
The new rules allow for both road-based LMH hypercars and race prototypes to race together. The hybrid all-wheel drive LMH cars are allowed 200kW hybrid electric front axles contributing to a 500kW combined output at 1100kg minimum weight.
Toyota had previously confirmed that the GT Super Sport concept would get a 735kW biturbo V6 hybrid powertrain. That was prior to the LMH output being trimmed. It remains to be seen if Toyota keeps to that figure for the street version. Or drops to the new 500kW limit, .
Toyota will face Peugeot in new LMH class from 2022. Race teams Glickenhaus and ByKolles have also confirmed plans for the new class so far. Renault will race in the prototype class under its rejuvenated Alpine performance brand.
