Toyota WEC boss confirms a 2026 debut for Toyota GR GT3 racer – and a simultaneous release for the Lexus-badged road version
The upcoming Lexus LFR supercar will make its global debut in 2026 alongside the World Endurance Championship GT3 racer on which it will be based following a series of development delays.
That’s the latest word from Toyota WEC team boss Rob Leupen, who recently confirmed to Motorsport.com that the road-going version of the Toyota GR team’s GT3 race car will more than likely carry a Lexus badge.
“Everybody knows we are developing a car, and this car will come to race in Europe in 2026,” he said.
“The date is in alignment with the road car side, which is following the philosophy of Toyota to have a motorsport-bred car on the road. This is moving forward at the moment.”
When asked directly if the production version would be sold as a Lexus, Leupin said: “It depends on how it develops within Toyota, but at the moment, yes.”
This response in particular aligns with myriad rumours, spy pics, hints, concept cars and even local trademark applications suggesting a new Lexus flagship coupe was on the way, with previous expectations being for a global launch in 2025.
However, it now seems likely the belated replacement for the V10-powered Lexus LFA limited-edition supercar will make its global debut sometime in 2025 alongside its motorsport-focussed donor car, before being launched the following year in tandem with the GR GT3’s WEC debut.
The closest official looks we’ve had at the LFR are the 2021 Lexus Electrified Sport concept and 2022 Toyota GR GT3 Concept shown in January 2022 – little more than a month after the former made its public debut.
Overseas reports claim the production car’s final design will likely be a concoction of the two designs mentioned above, but we reckon it’ll bear more resemblance with the Electrified Sport given recent new products from the world’s biggest car-maker, including the second-generation Toyota C-HR that matches the preceding Prologue concept.
It’s not yet known what will power the two-door speed machine, but it’s likely to be a twin-turbo V8 hybrid system good for more than 600kW – a combination strongly alluded to by the soundtrack and performance of a camouflaged racing prototype spotted in Japan last month.
Being a race car, it makes sense for the transmission to be some sort of sequential or dual-clutch system – as evidenced by the car’s rapid changes – but Lexus engineers have previously suggested a manual transmission could be on the cards, even for the battery-electric version.
“This new project all started with some Lexus engineers reflecting on what they liked about traditional internal combustion vehicles and what they have to miss out on with electric cars,” Lexus Electrified chief engineer Takashi Watanabe said late last year when confirming the development of an EV manual transmission.
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“Manual transmission was one thing they enjoyed in particular – there is nothing more engaging for a passionate driver than to be able to shift the gears for the right amount of torque at any time.”
The battery-electric version of the LFR is tipped to develop more than 746kW and a monstrous amount of torque, which makes the application of a three-pedal transmission both all the more intriguing and probable for the internal combustion version, given the hardware and technology already exists.
An automatic variant will also undoubtedly be offered for those who prefer convenience and outright acceleration over driving engagement.
Watch this space for more details on the all-new Lexus LFR, since the countdown to 2026 has now well and truly begun.
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Keyword: New Lexus LFR supercar to launch globally in 2026