Brad Anderson wrote:Believe it or not, the Prius actually has some racing pedigree in its blood, having competed in Japan's GT300 championship.
On the back of the latest-generation Prius debuting, the GT300 variant has just been revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
Developed by APR Racing, the all-new Prius GT300 uses some technologies from the new road car and mates them to systems from the, now retired, previous-gen racer.
Toyota says that the electric motor of the new GT300 is derived from the one of the production model but, at this stage, no further details about the electric motor have been released.
What we do know is that it is no longer joined with a 1.8-liter combustion engine but a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 from many other Toyota racing cars, including the outgoing Prius GT300.
Unlike that model which has its engine mid-mounted, new GT300 regulations stipulate that the engine must remains in its standard factory position.
Visually, the new GT300 car draws on the road model in its design with the same spaceship-like headlights and intriguingly shaped front grille and air intakes. The factory taillights have also been retained. Other than those elements, the track-only model is adorned with bespoke body panels and aerodynamic aids, including a massive rear wing and rear diffuser.
Full specifications about the 2016 Toyota Prius GT300 should be released soon.
