If you thought the GR GT was going to be one of those supercars that would be expensive but available to anyone with the cash just because it’s a Toyota, think again. Instead, it’s going down the Ford GT route: only about 200 to 250 cars are coming to the U.S., Toyota is seemingly handpicking customers with a strong preference for enthusiasts over potential flippers, and, of course, the first America-bound batch is already sold out.
Speaking to The Drive, Toyota’s Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Andrew Gilleland said, “We’re not going to have enough to meet demand, and that’s by design.” He explained that the GR GT was created as a passion project and because chairman and former CEO Akio Toyoda “wants a world-class performance car.”
As for who will get the privilege of buying a GR GT, Gilleland said, “We don’t want to sell cars to flippers, we only want people who are going to drive it. The first allocation is already sold.”
It’s just the first allocation
To me, the important words there are “first allocation,” because it implies the existence of subsequent allocations that presumably aren’t sold out yet. Not that this makes the GR GT an easy car to get ahold of exactly, but it does mean that the situation likely isn’t quite as dire as some of the headlines that have spawned from this same quote suggest.
Making something as new, unique, and powerful as the GR GT will take some work — it’s not like they’re just expanding the Corolla lineup. The GR GT is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 (Toyota’s first) and a hybrid electric motor sending power to the rear through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It’s poised to make at least 641 horsepower and have a top speed of 199 mph or faster. It uses Toyota’s first all-aluminum body frame with a bunch of carbon elements. It also looks really rather good, especially in person, and in a fun color like red.
Final, official pricing is still TBA, but previous reports suggest an approximate starting price of $225,000. In the U.S. at least, it’ll be sold, or more accurately perhaps, distributed through “select Lexus dealerships” — the GR GT isn’t really the sort of car a middle-aged dude in a Toyota polo has to “sell” you on.
