Toyota GT-One
Toyota's GT1-era racer that evolved into an LMGTP prototype.
The Toyota GT-One, carrying the model code TS020, was a racing car built to compete under Group GT1 regulations. It was later modified to fit the LMGTP class. The car took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans during 1998 and 1999.
After the Group C era ended around 1994, Toyota shifted its sports car racing focus to production-based grand touring classes starting in 1995. The company pursued a two-car strategy. One was a heavily modified Supra, called the Supra LM, which used a turbocharged inline-4 engine. The other was a purpose-built racer based on the Toyota MR2, heavily reworked and known as the SARD MC8-R, powered by a turbocharged V8. The MC8-R’s design borrowed from the Porsche 911 GT1, using modified front chassis parts from the road car and a custom racing structure at the rear.
The Supra performed well in 1995, but the MC8-R proved faster in 1996. Toyota decided that a car designed primarily as a racer, similar to the MC8-R, would be a better fit for its GT racing goals. So Toyota skipped the 1997 Le Mans race to develop a new car for 1998. (An MC8-R was entered in 1997 but failed to qualify.)
Development was handed to Toyota Team Europe (TTE) in Cologne, Germany, working with Dallara. The one-year break let TTE study what competitors were building. In 1997, the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and Porsche 911 GT1 dominated by exploiting rule loopholes—both were custom supercars with only a few road versions built for homologation. TTE realized it needed just one production car to meet homologation rules, so driver comforts could be omitted.
Toyota also noticed a loophole Mercedes had used. GT cars had to have storage space for a standard suitcase. Mercedes placed a small cubby under the rear bodywork. Toyota convinced ACO officials that the car’s fuel tank, empty during scrutineering, could theoretically hold a suitcase, qualifying as trunk space.
With these loopholes, TTE built the GT-One. It designed and manufactured the carbon fiber chassis and bodywork in-house. Toyota supplied a heavily upgraded version of the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V8 originally used in its Group C cars. TTE also built the two required road cars, painted red with basic interiors. One went to a museum in Japan; the other is at Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne.
- Model code
- TS020
- Years raced at le mans
- 1998, 1999
- Engine
- Twin-turbocharged 3.6 L R36V V8
- Chassis
- Carbon fibre (designed and manufactured by Toyota Team Europe)
- Best le mans finish
- 2nd overall (1999)
- Class win
- GTP class (1999)
- Number of road cars built
- 2
Lore & Background
Following the end of the Group C era around 1994, Toyota shifted to production-based GT classes. After fielding the Supra LM and SARD MC8-R, Toyota skipped the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans to develop a new GT car for 1998. Toyota Team Europe (TTE) and Dallara developed the GT-One, exploiting loopholes in GT1 regulations: only a single production car was needed for homologation, and Toyota convinced officials that the fuel tank qualified as trunk space. TTE designed and manufactured the carbon fibre chassis and bodywork in-house, while Toyota supplied a heavily upgraded twin-turbocharged 3.6 L R36V V8 from its Group C cars. Two road cars were built for homologation, one displayed in a museum in Japan and the other at Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne.
In 1998, three GT-Ones qualified 2nd, 7th, and 8th at Le Mans. During the race, one car suffered a high-speed accident, another had a gearbox failure while competing for the win, and the remaining car finished 9th. For 1999, the ACO changed GT regulations, forcing Toyota to adapt the GT-One into an LMGTP prototype. The cars qualified 1st, 2nd, and 8th. During the race, two cars were lost to tire-related failures, but the third car finished 2nd overall, one lap behind the winning BMW, and won the GTP class. The GT-One raced once more at the 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000 km, finishing 2nd behind a Nissan R391.
Reader's Guide
The Toyota GT-One is notable for its rapid development and competitive performance against both GT1 and prototype machinery. In 1998, the GT-Ones set the 2nd, 5th, and 10th fastest times in official testing, easily beating dedicated Le Mans Prototypes. The car's 1999 campaign demonstrated its pace, taking pole position and leading the race, but was ultimately hampered by higher fuel consumption and tire failures caused by sharp gravel on the track. The GT-One's second-place finish at Le Mans in 1999, winning the GTP class, was the closest Toyota had come to overall victory at that point. The program ended after 1999 when Toyota redirected TTE to lead its new Formula One team. The GT-One was the only LMGTP car to finish the 1999 race, and no LMGTP entrants appeared the following year after Mercedes-Benz and Audi withdrew from the class. Toyota would not return to Le Mans until 2012 with the TS030 Hybrid.
Did You Know?
- Only two road-going GT-Ones were built for homologation, one displayed in a Japanese museum and the other at Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne.
- The GT-One's 1999 Le Mans entry was the only LMGTP car to finish the race.
- The GT-One program ended after 1999 when Toyota turned Toyota Team Europe into the leaders of its new Formula One team.
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