‘People might resent us’: Why Toyota is entering V8 Supercars with a dead model

After decades of murmurs surrounding the Japanese brand joining the V8 Supercars series, Toyota will finally go head-to-head with Chevrolet and Ford in the national touring car series for the 2026 season.

While it's exciting news for a race series that has historically seen a head-to-head battle between Ford and General Motors, with brief stints from Mercedes-Benz (three seasons) and Nissan (six seasons), Toyota has opted to run with a car that has been discontinued in Australia.

But the philosophy for racing has always been 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday', pertaining to the fact that there’s no better publicity for a car than taking it racing and showing the customer what it is capable of.

So why go racing with a car no one can buy anymore?

At a recent round-table at the unveiling of the new car for the 2026 season, Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia's head of sales and marketing, assured Drive that it wasn’t a case of being blindsided by the choice to discontinue the model.

“Supra is retired… We knew this was on from day one, so I don't want anyone to think this was an absolute surprise to us. It wasn't, and we wanted to continue on regardless of that. We just believe that for the Gazoo Racing nameplate, this is exactly right. And when you see this GR brand evolve over time, I think you'll start to understand why we're here today,” said Hanley.

Hinting at the possibility for the GR brand to evolve from what it is now, Japanese media reports claim a new GR Supra is in development – with four-cylinder turbo-hybrid power replacing a BMW six-cylinder – but Toyota is yet to confirm plans for what comes beyond the current vehicle.

Obvious thoughts would be that the Supra matches the category for a rear-wheel-drive high-performance vehicle to race in the series, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be the case.

Considering the V8 Supercar rendition will be powered by a heavily modified 2UR-GSE engine, which is not found in the model and is only used in Lexus cars, such as the IS 500 F-Sport and LC 500. Factoring in the fact that Holden raced for many years with a fully custom, rear-wheel-drive version of the ZB Commodore, it surely would’ve made more sense to run something that can be bought in stores, like a GR 86 or even a Camry.

In fact, a Toyota dealership built a V8-powered Camry to V8 Supercar specifications many years ago to compete in the New Zealand V8 Supertourers category, featuring a spaceframe, rear-wheel drive, sequential gearbox, and a 3UZ 5.0-litre V8.

When asked why no current model cars made their way onto the track, Hanley simply replied with “With Gen3, it just worked for us”.

Likely he's alluding to the fact that the Supra’s overall shape and design allow for a more aerodynamic approach, while also not clashing with the design of the Toyota 86 cup, which is a feeder series for the main event.

But it still begs the question: why now, and not 10, 15, or even 20 years ago?

Around the panel, consisting of James Warburton, Supercars CEO; Ryan Walkinshaw, Walkinshaw CEO; Brad Jones, CEO of Brad Jones Racing; and Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia's head of sales and marketing, the term 'all the stars finally aligned' was thrown around to describe Toyota's entry into Supercars racing.

“Certainly, 20 years ago, our brand was escalating; in fact, we were number one, and we thought at the time the V8 race was so tribal, and so it should have been. I mean, that's the nature of the industry and the brand positioning. At the time, Ford and Holden were extremely strong, and, unfortunately, one of them is no longer there; however, the other remains. But we felt if we went in and even if we were successful, that actually there was no benefit for us to be in there and win that race,” said Hanley.

“[We thought] people might actually resent us for going in and winning that race. Of course, things have altered in the industry. So, things have changed, and, of course, the criteria around Supercars have also altered over time, particularly with the Gen3 platform, which enabled us to develop a product that we could put in.

“So what's changed now is the fact that there's less tribalism, and I think it's mature enough now, and it's clear from the amount of comments that we've had since we announced our entry that there is an acceptance to come into the race.

The arrival and launch of Gazoo Racing cemented it for us. We needed to participate in the biggest race in the country to show the world, at least in Australia, that we could do it and that we could be formidable. We respect the fact that we know, through our teams, we have to work hard.

“Whatever happens, we won't give up. We want to win this race, and we are determined to win this race. We are patient people; we don't go in there believing we have a right to win it. You've got to earn the right to win it.”

A total of six GR Supra Supercars will line up on the 2026 Supercars Championship grid, with Walkinshaw Andretti United to field two vehicles driven by Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood.

Brad Jones Racing (BJR) will field a further four cars, with the line-up of drivers to be confirmed closer to the beginning of the 2026 season.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

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