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Something weird happened today.
My phone blew up. Not with recall news or another "the industry is dying" article. With actual excitement. Arguments. Hot takes. Screenshots flying around.
Toyota unveiled the GR GT and GR GT3, a Lexus LFA Concept, and for the first time in forever, it seemed like everyone had something to say about a new car. Especially a new car from Toyota.
Toyota GR GT3 and GR GT.
I guess a rear-wheel-drive, V8 twin-turbo hybrid supercar will do that.
When's the last time that happened?
The GR GT (road car):
4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo + single electric motor hybrid
650+ horsepower, 850+ Nm torque (development targets)
Under 1,750 kg (3,858 lbs)
0-320+ km/h (199+ mph) top speed
Toyota's first all-aluminum body frame
Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
8-speed automatic
Carbon ceramic brakes
Launch target: ~2027
The GR GT3 (race car):
Same 4.0L V8 twin-turbo (no hybrid)
FIA GT3 specification
Built for customer racing
Also targeting ~2027
A handful of the arguments I have seen today…
"Why would Toyota build this?"
"Nobody asked for a $300k+ Toyota."
"The LFA was $375k and people still talk about it 15 years later."
"This is just Toyota chasing Porsche and Ferrari."
"650 hp in 2027? That's it?"
"Hybrid V8 is the worst of both worlds."
"Or it's the best of both worlds and you're just mad about it."
“I feel like they took a Camry front end and slapped it on a GT car.”
“Don’t have much care for it in general.”
See what I mean? Everyone's got a take. And I think that's the whole point.
Here's what Toyota did that nobody else is doing right now...
They looked at the entire industry racing toward full electrification and said "what if we just built the best driver's car we possibly can, using whatever technology makes that happen?"
The answer was a hybrid V8. Not because it's trendy. Not because regulations forced them. Because when you let engineers and professional drivers (Morizo himself, plus drivers Tatsuya Kataoka, Hiroaki Ishiura, and Naoya Gamou) build something from scratch with a "driver-first approach," this is what you get.
Toyota GR GT.
The development process was backwards:
Most cars: Design the body, then figure out aerodynamics
GR GT: Perfect the aerodynamics first, then make it beautiful
They literally called it "aerodynamics first" development
The engineering is obsessive:
"Hot V" turbo configuration (one turbo per cylinder bank) to keep the engine compact
Dry-sump lubrication to lower the oil pan
Rear-mounted transaxle for 45:55 weight distribution
Driver and car's center of gravity intentionally matched
Professional drivers designed the interior ergonomics
Exhaust "meticulously crafted" for proper V8 sound
The philosophy is refreshing:
They called it "Shikinen Sengu" — a Shinto ritual of rebuilding shrines to pass knowledge to the next generation
LFA veterans teaching younger engineers how to make special cars
Not about profit. About preserving "the secret sauce of car-making"
This car exists to make you have an opinion.
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Love it or hate it. Think it's brilliant or think it's pointless. Argue about whether hybrid V8s make sense or whether Toyota should've just built a pure EV supercar or kept it naturally aspirated.
It doesn't matter.
What matters is that a major automaker looked at declining sales, melting fuel tanks, endless recalls, and an industry in chaos... and decided to build something that makes people feel something.
When's the last time a new car announcement made your group chat pop off? When's the last time you saw people genuinely excited or genuinely mad about a production car that isn't a Cybertruck?
The GR GT landed today and suddenly everyone remembered they actually care about cars.
Not as appliances. Not as "mobility solutions." As machines that make us feel alive.
Lexus LFA Concept, Toyota GR GT, and Toyota GR GT3.
Are you in or out on the GR GT?
Does a 650+ hp hybrid V8 supercar launching in 2027 excite you? Make you roll your eyes? Make you wish they'd just build an affordable RWD coupe instead?
Hit reply and tell me. Because for the first time in a while, there's actually something worth arguing about.
Toyota's targeting a 2027 launch for both the GR GT and GR GT3. Pricing unknown but expect LFA territory or higher. Full specs and details at Toyota's announcement.
-Nick
Founder, PURSUIT OF SOMETHING
P.S. - My group chats are split 50/50 on this. Half think it's Toyota finally doing something bold. Half think it's too little, too late. Both sides are passionate. Both sides have good points. That's when you know something actually matters. When nobody's indifferent.
About Pursuit of Something: I'm Nick, and I'm building a community for everyone who's ever had a complex emotional relationship with a machine that doesn't care about them. Through YouTube videos, this newsletter, and way too much time in my garage, I document the beautiful chaos of automotive ownership. Your piece of shit is beautiful.