Toyota has yet to begin deliveries of the GR GT, but your chance to score the supercar may have already come and gone
The initial allotment of GR GTs destined for the U.S. is already spoken for, according to Car and Driver. It currently looks unlikely that the Japanese automaker will be able to meet the American demand for the vehicle, but that is the point.
Considering that Toyota started teasing the GR GT at the start of the decade, it’s little surprise to learn that it wants its latest speed machine to be viewed as something special. It’s not meant to be the kind of vehicle that can just be bought at your local dealership. Instead, it is the sort of halo car sold to a hand-selected group of V.I.P.s. And, in the case of its new supercar, that means people who’ve already proven that they won’t just hide the car away or flip it for a quick profit.
Toyota has yet to confirm how many examples of the supercar will be built or how many of those will be shipped to this side of the Pacific. Car and Driverreports that the initial U.S.-bound allocation will consist of fewer than 250 vehicles, all of which have already been accounted for less than nine months after the car made its debut. That may seem quick, but Toyota senior vice president Andrew Gilleland says that is just how the automaker planned it.
“It’s a passion project, and it was made because [Toyota chairman] Akio Toyoda wants a world-class performance car,” the executive told the magazine during Monterey Car Week. “We don’t want to sell cars to flippers; we only want people who are going to drive it.”
Toyota isn’t the first company to make its halo car hard to get. We saw Ford do the same for both generations of the GT (it even sued John Cena for breaking its 24-month no-sale agreement). It’s easy to see why the company wants to see the GR GT end up with someone who will actually enjoy it, too. The supercar will offer even better performance than the discontinued (but beloved) GR Supra thanks to a hybrid-assisted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V-8 that will make around 640 hp. The company has yet to announce a final price for the vehicle, but something in excess of US$300,000 seems likely.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA. Featured photo by Toyota