History of the Toyota GT One

Race cars come and go almost as quickly as the races themselves. A championship or award winning car may be admired for a year or so, but as soon as it becomes retired or is phased out, the fame and recognition that went with it seems to fade as well. Although this is a sad fate for many cars, it is also undeserving, as many race cars represent the present pinnacles of performance and design, the hard work and dedication of many individuals, and sometimes even the spirit of a nation. While this may not be the case with every race car to fall by the wayside, it is definitely the story of the Toyota GT One, an incredible car that deserves to be remembered for more than one reason.

The Toyota GT One received most of its fame, and saw the most action racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, but it was originally conceived for an entirely different reason. When the GT One prototype was first built, it was intended for grand touring, although the design of the vehicle, as well as its performance specifics definitely suited it towards more straight forward racing.

To understand the GT One, and what makes it so special, we first need to understand the other ventures that Toyota was undertaking at the time. With two main production sports cars rolling off the lines, being the Supra and MR2, Toyota decided that it was time to enter the GT racing category. Having seen mild success with a high performance model of the Supra, Toyota decided to switch out the engine in the MR2 and build it from the ground up to be a superior racing machine. The MR2 in question had incredibly heavy change, and would be fitted with a twin turbo charged eight cylinder engine and a dramatic restyling of the body. With intentions to enter the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans competition, Toyota skipped out on the 1997 race in order to further their research and development on what would become known as the GT One.

The GT One was designed with a twin turbo V8, 6-speed manual transmission, an independent double wishbone suspension in both the front and back of the car, and a chassis constructed of carbon fiber and aluminum. The GT One ran Michelin radial tires in almost every race it was entered in.