If you were hoping to stroll into your local Toyota store and stumble across a GR GT parked between a Corolla and a Highlander, it is not going to happen. Toyota’s new Gazoo Racing flagship is skipping the brand’s own dealerships in favor of select Lexus retailers, setting the tone for what is shaping up to be one of the most exclusive road cars the company has ever built. The move instantly reframes the GR GT not as a hot trim in the lineup, but as a true halo model that sits above the everyday Toyota world.

Pricing is a big part of that story. Internally, Toyota has pointed people toward current GT3 machinery when asked where the GR GT might land, which puts the rumored starting figure in the neighborhood of $225,000 and potentially much higher depending on how aggressive Toyota gets with options and production numbers. That puts it in the same orbit as a Porsche 911 GT3 and somewhere on the same shopping list as wildcards like Ford’s Mustang GTD, while still sitting far below the inflation-adjusted cost of Toyota’s last V10 halo, the Lexus LFA. The expectation is clear: if you are spending that kind of money on a Toyota-badged car, the buying experience needs to feel every bit as special as the machine itself, and Lexus showrooms are better equipped to deliver that kind of white-glove treatment.

The car underneath all this drama absolutely backs up the positioning. GR GT is the first Toyota road car to use an all-aluminum frame, wrapped in panels made from a mix of aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the hunt for low weight and high rigidity. Tucked behind the long hood is a newly developed 4.0 liter twin turbo V8 paired with a single electric motor, a hybrid setup targeting at least 640 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, with development goals that edge even higher. Toyota has also talked about a target top speed brushing the 200 mph mark, which would firmly plant this car in modern supercar territory.

As wild as the road car sounds, it is only half the story. Developed alongside it is the GR GT3, a dedicated race car built to FIA GT3 regulations that trades the hybrid hardware for a pure V8 setup and turns the aero dial up several notches. Massive wings, splitters, and venting distinguish the GT3 from its street-legal sibling, yet the two share their basic aluminum structure, broad strokes of suspension design, and a clear motorsports-first mindset. The idea is simple: the race car sharpens the breed on track, while the road car lets customers tap into that same engineering on their favorite back road or track day.

For Toyota fans, the Lexus-only sales plan might feel a bit strange at first, but it also signals how seriously the company is taking Gazoo Racing as a performance brand. The GR GT is not meant to be the aspirational step up from a GR Corolla; it is a statement piece that nudges Toyota into the same conversation as established European exotics, while letting Lexus dealers showcase a jaw-dropping centerpiece in their showrooms. With sales expected to begin late next year, likely for the 2027 model year, the real challenge will not be finding a GR GT on a Toyota lot. It will be convincing a Lexus dealer to slide your name onto what is sure to be a very short and very selective list.