Toyota is entering the hypercar space with a 986-horsepower monster that will be developed by the Toyota Gazoo Racing team. The model, called the GR Super Sport Concept, will use technology derived from the TS050 Hybrid LMP1 race car that just finished off a dominant run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, giving Toyota its first-ever Le Mans title in the company’s history.

Boy, oh, boy. Did anyone see this coming? Not a lot of people saw this coming, though it was understood that Toyota had something special planned for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Apparently, that “something special” was this announcement. The automaker didn’t mention a specific timetable, saying only that development for the production version of the GR Super Sport Concept is already underway.

The automaker also gave a few details about the car, none more important than its total output of 986 horsepower. If that ends up being the final number, the Toyota hypercar would have as much power at its disposal as the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and Ferrari La Ferrari, the trio of hypercars that were responsible for ushering in this new segment of high-performance machines.

So, how exactly is Toyota planning on getting that much power for its hypercar? According to the automaker, the hypercar will feature a 2.4-liter bi-turbo V-6 engine that will be combined with a Toyota Hybrid System - Racing, a technology that appears to be derived from the TS050 Hybrid race car that romped its way to a Le Mans title. It will also feature 18-inch wheels in the front and rear, to go with 330/710R18 tires.

Toyota didn’t mention anything else, but it did show a slew of photos, giving us an idea on what the concept version looks like. The photos reveal a car with a low-slung body that has LMP1 design elements to it, most notably the inclusion of a cockpit-style cabin. The body is also styled with supreme aerodynamics in mind. It even makes use of an extended fin that runs almost the entire length of its roof. The production version may not look entirely like this concept, but Toyota’s made it known that it’s not going to take shortcuts in the development of this hypercar.

"We started this project because we believe that creating a super sports car that delivers the same appeal as the TS050 Hybrid greatly adds to Toyota’s involvement in the WEC,” Toyota Gazoo Racing President Shigeki Tomoyama said. “And at some point in the near future, customers will have a chance to get behind the wheel of this incredible machine and experience its astonishing power and driving performance."

Despite already unveiling the GR Super Sport Concept at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon back in January, we now know that Toyota’s got big plans for the concept. Just don’t expect the production model to arrive anytime soon. Tomoyama made that clear when he said that “it will be some time” before we get the chance to get behind the wheel of the hypercar. Still, the mere thought of Toyota entering the hypercar space is already getting us excited.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Toyota TS050 Hybrid LMP1.

Read our full review on the 2018 Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept.

Read more Toyota news.