Toyota has earmarked a limited allocation of its new GR GT supercar for the U.S., but the first batch is already sold out. The Japanese automaker is being selective about its customers, saying it wants people who will actually drive the car rather than "flippers."A Toyota supercar is one of those phrases that may make you pause for a moment. The two words aren't exactly the combination you hear every day. Toyota has long been synonymous with economy, reliability, and cars that will dutifully start every morning, while a supercar usually means fuel-guzzling machines that wake the neighbors on Sunday mornings.Try as I might to picture one, my mind immediately pulls up the Lexus LFA, a car that technically wasn't a Toyota, but in many ways, it was the closest thing Toyota had to a supercar. Toyota officially revealed the GR GT over seven months ago, and at a press briefing at Laguna Seca for the Rolex Motorsport Reunion last weekend, the automaker spilled some more details about its supercar.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe vehicle is equipped with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine that produces over 640 horsepower, mated to a rear-mounted, triple-wet-clutch, eight-speed transmission. There is also the Toyota GR GT3, a dedicated FIA GT3-specification racing car that was developed alongside the GR GT to compete in motorsport events such as Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship.Image Credit: Toyota Gazoo RacingShifting the focus back to the road-going version, The Drive caught up with Toyota Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Andrew Gilleland at Laguna Seca, who admitted that the brand reserved 200 to 250 units of the Toyota GR GT for the U.S., and that they only intend to sell it to those who actually want to drive the supercar. He said:"We're not going to have enough to meet demand, and that's by design. It's a passion project and made because Akio [Toyoda] wants a world-class performance car. 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."AdvertisementAdvertisementGilleland also revealed that around 150 potential buyers during The Quail at Monterey Car Week had discussed their preferences for the GR GT with Toyota representatives, even though the brand was not taking orders. He emphasized that the "interest is huge." Deliveries of the supercar are likely to commence next year. Toyota development driver Tatsuya Kataoka hoped that drivers could recognize the passion behind the project. He said:"I hope that people can sense the intensity of the development and how passionate Toyota has been so far about the project."
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