Toyota is celebrating 40 years of Le Mans involvement at this year's instalment of the historic endurance race by painting its two GR010 Hybrid race cars in bespoke liveries - one modern, and one which harks back to one of the Japanese company's most iconic competition vehicles of the 20th century.
Which old Toyota racer are we talking about?
The mighty TS020, better known as the GT-One. Even if you're not big into endurance motorsport over the years, if you're a fan of the Gran Turismo PlayStation racing-sim series, you'll know this car like the back of your hand. It first appeared in the second game in the series and has been pretty much an ever-present since, with the exception of Gran Turismo Sport. It's a big, red-and-white, low-slung thing that's an absolute weapon, so it makes sense to pay homage to it at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, being held this year on June 14 and 15.
Did the TS020 ever win at Le Mans?
No, it didn't. But it came mighty close in its second year at the French track in 1999, when an all-Japanese driver crew of Ukyo Katayama, Toshio Suzuki and Keiichi Tsuchiya piloted the #3 car to a second-placed overall finish, winning its GTP class (admittedly, by dint of being the only car in that category to finish the gruelling race, but still…). Toyota wouldn't be victorious at Le Mans until the GR050 Hybrid took the first of three consecutive victories in 2018, so the TS020 GT-One is rightly held in high regard for how close it came to winning during an ultra-competitive age.
This year, the #7 GR010 - to be piloted by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries - will be finished in a red-and-white livery that's clearly informed by the TS020. It's a subtly different take to the Esso-inspired paintwork on the cars from 1998 and 1999, with the 2025 contender's look given a 'dynamic edge' by jagged white flashes running the full length of the car. It looks proper.
And how about the other GR010 that's competing at this year's Le Mans?
That (the #8) will be finished in matte black, which Toyota says captures the Gazoo Racing (GR) team's spirit of 'speed' and 'hate to lose', as well as the prototype concept of these top-end race cars themselves - and it represents the present, whereas the #7's appearance looks back to the past. The crew onboard the #8 car is comprised of top drivers Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, incidentally, and both of the Toyota GR010 Hybrids will be aiming to win the company's sixth overall victory at Le Mans when they take to the La Sarthe track in the middle of next month.
So, hang on - Toyota only won at its 33rd attempt at Le Mans?
No, not quite; it was, in fact, its 20th attempt. While Toyota first appeared at the event back in 1985, it hasn't been there every year since. In total, 61 Toyota vehicles have competed at Le Mans, in 26 different editions of the race. The company's overall record has been significantly improved by a recent era of dominance at the track, so it now has a total of five overall wins, 18 podiums and eight pole positions to its name.
Its history began with the 85C, powered by a road-car-derived engine, with the first podium coming in 1992. Regulations allowed Toyota to compete with a race version of its mega Supra road car in 1995 and '96, before the TS020 took the company into the realm where it could compete for the overall victory in both 1998 and 1999. It then sat out all of the editions of Le Mans from 2000-2011 inclusive, returning in the hybrid era in 2012. The TS050 Hybrid then won three consecutive years from 2018 onwards, before the GR010 Hybrid of the current Hypercar era took over its mantle, and triumphed in both 2021 and '22 - making it five straight victories at the legendary event for Toyota. However, in 2023 and '24, the leading GR010 cars had to settle for runner-up spots behind the victorious Ferrari 499P, in both instances finishing on the same lap as the winning team, to the point of being only 14 seconds adrift last year.
Is there anything else Toyota is doing at Le Mans this year, besides the racing?
Well, to complete the 'past, present and future' theme started by the liveries of the competition GR010s, the Japanese company will be showcasing a number of activities that demonstrate ongoing hydrogen-fuel projects for endurance racing, so that the sport can hopefully continue in the future in a carbon-neutral, sustainable fashion.