Fresh from its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Toyota GT/Lexus LFR Concept is said to be “definitely a bit faster” than its GT Racing Concept counterpart, according to Haas Formula 1 driver Ollie Bearman. The F1 debutant, competing in his first full F1 season in 2025, spent time in both models at the festival’s famous hillclimb this past weekend alongside teammate Esteban Ocon, the latter of whom similarly praised the GT Concept as “incredibly fast, incredibly capable.”
Lexus
- Founded
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1989
- Founder
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Eiji Toyoda, Toyota
- Headquarters
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Nagoya, Japan
- Owned By
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Toyota Motor Corporation
- Current CEO
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Takashi Watanabe (President)
Speaking with Motorsport.com shortly after his second run, and invited to drive the two concepts at the behest of Haas team partner Toyota Gazoo Racing, Bearman explained:
“Yesterday, I got to try the road-going version. The GT is definitely a bit faster, but both [are] amazing cars in their own right… [The GT] car is really more suited to a track like this…. You know, in F1, we’re not really pushing. We have a few too many horsepower and missing a bit of rubber – let’s say at the rear tires – to push. But with the GT car, it really – that track comes alive, and I really, really enjoyed it.”
-Ollie Bearman, Haas F1 according to Motorsport.com
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Considering how far along the development of the new supercar appears to be, a 2025 launch seems feasible.
Why The GT Concept Will Be More Powerful Than Its GT3 Counterpart
Hitherto, Toyota has remained tight-lipped on details about either model. It will almost surely be a Lexus, at least in the United States, though it could live elsewhere as a Toyota-branded vehicle. A notably rowdy soundtrack during the Goodwood demonstration run, however, has left little doubt that the GT Racing Concept, and thus its road-going homologation, is powered by a front-mounted V8.
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Lexus LFA Successor To Be Called The Lexus LFR
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This, plus notable parallels like an elongated hood and aggressive styling, suggest the GT Concept will be built for Lexus as a spiritual successor to the 553-horsepower LFA supercar – and thus don the LFR badge – ahead of a possible launch in 2026.
Bearman’s comments, meanwhile, have ignited speculation that the road-going GT Concept will have more than 600 hp. That’s because FIA performance regulations dictate power for GT3 cars counterpart will be capped between 500 and 600 hp, and the road-going GT Concept was going faster than the racing version. This would draw the as-yet-unconfirmed LFR in-line with the likes of Aston Martin’s 670-hp Vantage S and even Ferrari’s 631-hp Amalfi.
Hybrid Or Turbo?
Whether the bulk of this additional power is down to turbocharging or hybrid technology is unclear. Boost would certainly be a contradiction to the naturally-aspirated V10 that powered the LFA, but going with turbochargers is not inconceivable given that select models already rely on forced inductions. Hybrid propulsion, meanwhile, is equally plausible, given Toyota’s continued development of hybrid technology for both its road cars and its Le Mans Hypercar motorsport program.
In any case, after seeing and hearing these cars perform at Goodwood, it’s really not a question of what’s under the hood, but rather, how much power is in there. A twin-turbocharged V8 hybrid certainly has potential for big numbers, but at this point, Toyota is remaining tight-lipped regarding details.
Source: Motorsport.com / Toyota
#Toyota #GTLexus #LFR #Concept #Feature #Horsepower
