Toyota is about to redefine its performance hierarchy with the arrival of its upcoming Gazoo Racing GT supercar, a flagship model that will not only elevate the brand’s sporting credentials but also introduce a new retail strategy in the United States. When the 2027 GR GT arrives at the end of the year, it will be sold through select Lexus dealerships – and without Toyota badging – an intentional move that underscores both its positioning and exclusivity.
The decision reflects a practical reality: Gazoo Racing, despite its growing global recognition, does not operate a standalone dealer network in the U.S. market. Until now, the GR badge has been reserved for performance variants of existing Toyota models, including the Supra, GR Corolla, and GR86. The GR GT, however, represents something entirely different – a six-figure, halo-level supercar designed to compete at the highest levels of both road and motorsport performance.
In doing so, Toyota is effectively elevating Gazoo Racing into a brand in its own right. By aligning GR with Lexus dealerships – mirroring the strategy used for the ultra-luxury Century SUV – the company is creating a more premium, curated buying experience that better suits a vehicle expected to command about $225,000.
Beyond retail strategy, the GR GT signals Toyota’s broader ambition to diversify its performance and electrification roadmap. As the automaker continues to pursue carbon neutrality, it is investing across multiple pathways, including battery-electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen technologies. The GR GT, with its twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, represents a high-performance counterpoint within that portfolio, blending traditional internal combustion with advanced engineering.
Expected to deliver performance approaching 200 mph, the GR GT is underpinned by an all-aluminum chassis shared with a future all-electric Lexus LFA successor. In a notable first for Toyota, the road-going GR GT and its GT3 racing counterpart were developed simultaneously – ensuring that motorsport DNA is embedded into the car from inception rather than adapted after the fact.
That philosophy extends directly into Toyota’s racing ambitions. The GR GT3 is slated to make its North American debut at the 2027 Rolex 24 at Daytona, marking a pivotal transition as Lexus exits sports car competition after a decade campaigning the RC F in the GTD ranks.
“For us, we're committed to the RC F for this year,” said Jeffrey Bal, Lexus Racing Director of Motorsports. “We’ll remain Lexus Racing. When the new car shows up, we will be Gazoo Racing.”
The shift also introduces new considerations around customer engagement and dealer readiness, particularly as GR evolves from a performance sub-brand into a standalone identity.
“The GR GT will be sold through Lexus, we still have an important communication job, that we need to do with our dealers and our customers. We're working on that now,” Bal said. “In Japan, there are 80 dealerships that have a GR Garage, which is a home for motorsports enthusiasts. I don’t know if we’ll go down that route with some of our dealers, because some of them do race. If they do, that’s great and we’ll support it.
“The GR GT mantra is motorsports-bred, so they [road and race car] were built hand-in-hand. This has been a global effort, not just TMC. You’ve had TRD plus our race team assisting with testing, development, and feedback. Same with GR Europe with our drivers and teams from over there.”
That global collaboration has been central to the GT3 car’s development, according to Tyler Gibbs, Group Vice President and President of TRD.
“It’s been a great project for us,” he said. “The things that we at TRD have learned through this process with the new car, being able to work on a portion of that, has been great. It's just been a good opportunity for us and our sister company in Europe. Our drivers have contributed to it. We had the car here last year, tested it a number of times, we're excited about, about the new car and where it will take us.”
Driver input has played a critical role in shaping the GR GT3, with experienced racers helping refine its performance across multiple continents and racing disciplines. Among them is Jack Hawksworth, a former IndyCar driver and 2023 GTD Pro champion, who has been deeply involved in testing.
“I've driven it a few times now, I've probably tested it seven or eight times, at different tracks in the US, in Japan, Europe, so on a good number of occasions,” Hawksworth said. “With any race car, it's nice to get the feedback from all the different kind of drivers who are racing in different series, especially a GT3 car if you're hoping it's going to race all over the world.
“The tracks in Europe are very different to the tracks in America and the racing style in Japan is very different to the racing style in Europe, so we had a collection of Japanese drivers, American drivers, European drivers who worked on the program and, we went all over the world really testing this car to try and develop something that, that's gonna be really consistent no matter where it's raced, whether it be in Asia, in America, in Europe.
“I really enjoyed being a part of it and I’ll be super excited to see it actually race, it looks sweet in pictures, so, yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it with our livery on it; that'll be nice.”
As Toyota positions the GR GT at the intersection of luxury retail, motorsport pedigree, and next-generation performance strategy, the model is poised to become a defining statement – not just for Gazoo Racing, but for the future direction of the Japanese-based core company as a whole.
Images: Charles Bradley, Toyota
