Toyota shows off topless GR Super Sport hypercar

Toyota has been teasing its upcoming hypercar for a while now. First shown by Toyota two years ago as the GR Super Sport Concept, the hypercar looks unlike anything Toyota has ever designed.

Just before the start of the 2020 24 Hour of Le Mans this past weekend, Toyota's upcoming hypercar made its first public appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Called the GR Super Sport hypercar, it is based on Toyota's Le Mans-winning TS050 Hybrid racer and is set to become a road-going model sometime in the future. We will also get to see a race-prepped variant competing at the FIA's new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class next year.

Toyota did not reveal much about the hypercar just yet. The GR Super Sport is still fully wrapped in GR camouflage to hide finer details about the vehicle. Styling-wise, it looks more like an LMP racer instead of a road-going supercar. Interestingly, this specific model is a convertible unlike the concept and the prototype shown in 2019. Both the two previous models featured had a fixed roof. As such, this prototype here is very likely the road-car we will see and even be able to purchase in the future. Do expect a fixed-roof variant to join the convertible in the future.

We still don't know what the powertrain of Toyota's new hypercar will be. Considering that the GR Super Sport is based on Toyota's LMP1 racer, it could a toned-down version of the powertrain found on the TS050 Hybrid. For reference, the TS050 Hybrid features a mid-mounted 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 paired with an electric motor and produces a total output of 986 horsepower.

Two-time Le Mans winner Alex Wurz gave feedback driving the prototype around Circuit de la Sarthe.

“I could feel the similarities between the GR Super Sport and the TS050 Hybrid in terms of performance, particularly the four-wheel drive and the hybrid system. But the engineers tell me this was only a small taste of the GR Super Sport's true performance so I am super excited to drive it again one day in the near future,” said Wurz.

With Toyota claiming their third straight Le Mans win this 2020, the question now is whether they can continue to do so in 2021 with the new hypercar class.