Toyota Pays Homage to GT-One with 24H Le Mans Livery

Image: Toyota

Toyota has taken the covers off a special livery that will adorn one of its two GR010 Hybrids in next month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, paying homage to the Japanese manufacturer’s iconic GT-One of the late 1990s.

The design was revealed on Monday to mark 40 years since the Japanese manufacturer’s first appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe, featuring the same famous red-and-white pattern that was seen on the marque’s three GT-Ones at Le Mans in 1998.

Only the No. 7 Toyota driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway will carry the design, with the sister No. 8 car maintaining the Cologne outfit’s current predominantly black regular WEC livery.

Toyota says the special livery is “intended to excite fans by connecting them with endurance racing’s rich history, strengthening their passion for motorsports”, with the split between its cars signifying both the past and present.

The GT-One debuted at Le Mans in 1998, beginning life as a GT1 car before being entered under GT Prototype rules in 1999, Toyota’s final year in the top flight of sportscar racing until the rebirth of the WEC in 2012.

The fondly-remembered car scored a best finish of ninth in its first year with Ukyo Katayama, Toshio Suzuki and Keiichi Tsuchiya driving, with the same crew losing out to the winning BMW V12 LMR the next year after a late puncture.

Image: Toyota