Following the end of the Group C era around 1994, Toyota decided to alter its plans in sports car racing by moving to the production-based grand touring (GT) classes for 1995. Toyota initially pursued a two-pronged approach, utilizing a modified Toyota Supra (Supra LM) alongside a purpose-built car, the SARD MC8-R, powered by a turbocharged Toyota 1UZ V8. After observing the Porsche 911 GT1 and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, Toyota decided to focus on developing a race car designed primarily for competition, leading to a one-year hiatus from the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Toyota Team Europe (TTE), based in Cologne, Germany, and Dallara were tasked with developing the new GT car. TTE observed what the competition was developing for the GT class and exploited loopholes in the rules. They realized they could meet homologation requirements by building only one production car, and convinced Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) officials that the car’s fuel tank qualified as storage space.
TTE designed and manufactured the GT-One’s carbon fibre chassis and bodywork, while Toyota supplied a heavily upgraded version of the twin-turbocharged 3.6 L (220 cu in) R36V V8 engine originally used in their Group C cars. Two road-legal GT-Ones were built for homologation, one displayed in a Japanese museum and the other at Toyota Motorsport GmbH headquarters in Cologne.
The GT-One debuted at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans during the official testing period in May, setting the 2nd, 5th, and 10th best times, surpassing dedicated Le Mans Prototypes (LMPs). In qualifying, the three GT-Ones qualified 2nd, 7th, and 8th, behind only a Mercedes-Benz. During the race, the #28 GT-One was eliminated due to a high-speed accident. The remaining two cars finished with the #27 entry taking 9th place overall, 25 laps behind the winning Porsche 911 GT1.
Following changes to the GT class regulations by the ACO and FIA, requiring a larger number of production vehicles, Toyota evolved the GT-One into a GTP class prototype. The car underwent extensive testing, including a long-distance test at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. In qualifying for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans, the three GT-Ones secured 1st, 2nd, and 8th positions.
Throughout the race, the GT-Ones battled for the lead with BMW and Mercedes, but were hampered by higher fuel consumption and tire failures caused by gravel on the track. The #1 GT-One was forced to retire after 90 laps due to an explosive tire puncture, while the #2 GT-One was destroyed in a high-speed accident involving Thierry Boutsen, ending his racing career. The remaining #3 GT-One finished 2nd overall, one lap behind the winning BMW.
The GT-One also raced in the 1999 Le Mans Fuji 1000 km, finishing 2nd overall to a Nissan R391, and winning the LMGTP class.
A total of seven GT-Ones were built. Chassis LM804 is notable for being the only car to race in both the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chassis LM801 was a development prototype that never raced. Chassis LM803 and LM804 are road-legal versions, with LM803 on display in Europe and LM804 in Japan. Chassis LM805 was a test car after the 1998 race. Chassis LM806 and LM907 raced in the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Marlboro was the Toyota GT-One sponsor in 1999, though logos were absent due to French anti-tobacco laws. Other sponsors included Zent, Venture Safenet, and Esso.
This article is based solely on the provided corpus. No external sources, such as primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, or specialist publications, were consulted.