Toyota is working on a hypercar to be used in the WEC’s new LMh class. Very soon the Japanese will reveal it and they will already share the first data.
Toyota has been able to take victory in the LMP1 class of the WEC unopposed in recent years, but the regulations will be overhauled in the near future. Then the LMh hypercars will replace the LMP1 class. Peugeot will participate in this, as will Alpine and Audi, but Toyota itself will also be present. At the last edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it already took a prototype of its new hypercar, the Toyota GR Super Sport. Toyota Gazoo Racing is now known to unveil the car on January 15.
The first specifications have now been released. It is a hybrid four-wheel drive car, which delivers a system power of 680 hp. The weight is 1,030 kilograms. Not a big surprise in itself, since there are of course strict regulations that determine the maximum specifications the car may have. Peugeot’s Me Mans racer also delivers 680 hp system power. The French draw that from a 2.6-liter V6 with two turbos and a Motor Generator Unit that can deliver 200 kW (272 hp) of power. It may be assumed that Toyota has put together a reasonably comparable powertrain.
We will know more on January 15. Hopefully then we will also get more clarity about any plans to bring technology from the LMh racer to road cars. There is a homologation obligation, but if the car has been specially and exclusively composed for this racing class down to the last screw, there is in principle nothing to be transferred to regular series production cars. Peugeot recently announced that it works that way and that there are no wild plans for its street-legal portfolio.