Tag: Hypercars

  • Toyota GR’s hypercar may have canopy-style roof and no doors

    Toyota has filed patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for what appear to be canopy-style doors for the upcoming GR Super Sport hypercar.

    First spotted by users on the GR86.org forum, the applications show the windshield, roof, and side glass of a car lifting up as one piece, with a hinge at the front. The driver enters and exits by swinging their legs over the body sides.

    Toyota showed a concept version of the GR Super Sport at the 2018 Tokyo Auto Salon. The concept didn’t have any obvious cut lines for conventional doors, but it did have lines running parallel to the side glass that match the patent-application drawings. At the time, Toyota didn’t mention a canopy opening.

    Toyota GR Super Sport concept

    Toyota GR Super Sport concept

    The GR Super Sport is being developed for the World Endurance Championship’s new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class. Toyota is the last manufacturer standing in the current LMP1 class, and wants to transition to LMH when it replaces LMP1 in 2021. Unlike LMP1 cars, LMH cars must be based on road cars. Manufacturers must build at least 25 of those road cars for homologation in the first season, and 100 road cars in the second season.

    Toyota GR Super Sport canopy patent image

    Toyota GR Super Sport canopy patent image

    Toyota hasn’t confirmed specs, but the GR Super Sport concept has a hybrid system based around a 2.4-liter twin-turbo V-6. The engine is mounted in the middle of the car and drives the rear wheels with help from an electric motor-generator. A second motor-generator powers the front axle, giving the car all-wheel drive. Toyota quoted total system output of 986 horsepower for the concept.

    In addition to Toyota, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has committed to the LMH class. Aston Martin initially discussed entering its Valkyrie, but has put those plans on hold to focus on Formula One. A companion class for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, called LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid), could see Porsche return to top-level endurance racing as well.

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  • Mercedes-AMG Project One powertrain calibration finalized, headed to Nürburgring

    Turns out making a street-legal hypercar with a Formula 1 race car’s powertrain isn’t easy.

    On Tuesday, Mercedes-AMG said the Project One hypercar’s powertrain has completed its static testing in the lab and is moving to the next stage: track testing.

    Pre-production Ones are now testing at AMG’s proving grounds in Immendingen, Germany. “This is the first dynamic testing of the final calibration of more than 1,000 horsepower,” Mercedes-AMG spokesman Barron Smith told Motor Authority.

    Mercedes-AMG Project One

    Mercedes-AMG Project One

    Next, pre-production Project Ones will endure testing on the north loop of the Nürburgring. Development will be focused on the active aerodynamics. The Project One features air outlets in the front fenders, active louvers on the front fenders, and a massive rear spoiler, all of which will need to work in harmony.

    In addition to the final powertrain calibration, the pre-production Ones now sound as they will in production form.

    Unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show and originally set to go on sale in 2019, the Project One has been delayed multiple times due to difficulties in getting the powertrain to meet European emissions regulations and withstand the rigors of road duty outside of the racetrack.

    Final power output hasn’t been disclosed but it’s expected to be around 1,020 horsepower. The One is a hybrid with a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 that can rev to 11,000 rpm. The engine is expected to produce about 750 hp, and the electric-drive system will make up the rest of the total output. Thie electric portion of the powertrain is the same as used in F1 cars.

    Project Ones will also feature two electric motors on the front axle to create all-wheel drive, which F1 cars do not have. In electric-only mode, the Project One will be powered solely by the front electric motors, making it a front-wheel-drive hypercar, though AMG estimates range will be approximately 15 miles on a full charge.

    The Project One is set to potentially redefine the street-legal hypercar. In 2018, then-AMG boss Tobias Moers said the new hypercar might be able to beat the outright Nürburgring lap record of 5:19.55 set that year by Porsche’s 919 Evo, but it would require some modifications.

    Only 275 Project Ones will be produced, and each is estimated to cost $2.4 million.

    Smith confirmed the Project One is sold out and is set to enter production at the end of the first quarter in 2021.

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