Toyota to mark anniversary of its Le Mans 24 Hours project with special livery

Toyota will mark the 40th anniversary of its first factory-supported assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours with a special livery for this year’s edition of the race. 

The #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar to be driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries in the double-points round of the World Endurance Championship on 14/15 June will run in a colour scheme that pays tribute to the marque’s GT-One of the late 1990s.

The GT-One, originally known as the TS020, was the first Le Mans contender to be developed at the Cologne headquarters of what is now Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, which has masterminded the Japanese manufacturer’s current WEC engagement starting in 2012. 

The livery of the #7 GR010 for Le Mans is inspired by that of the three GT-Ones from the first season of the two-year programme in 1998. 

A statement from Toyota read: “Its distinctive red and white livery has been reimagined for the 2025-specification #7 GR010 HYBRID.

“A red base colour is given a dynamic edge by jagged white flashes which speed over the car from front to back and make an unmistakable connection to the TS020.”

The GT-One followed on from a line of Toyota or Toyota-engined machinery that had competed at Le Mans from 1985.

Toyota is counting the two-car attack with a pair of Dome 85C Group C chassis powered by a rally-based 2.1-litre turbo engine as its first official engagement at the 24-hour classic. 

It began a sportscar odyssey clearly aimed at competing at Le Mans two years before with limited support of a project jointly run by Japanese constructor Dome and the TOM’S race team.  

Two Dome chassis with the turbo engine were fielded domestically in Japan in 1983 and in the Fuji round in the WEC that season.

The first full-factory campaign at Le Mans came in 1987, when the cars were called Toyotas for the first time and the team ran under the Toyota Team TOM’S banner.

A Japanese Sigma Group 6 prototype with a Toyota powerplant had raced at Le Mans in 1975, while a Group 5 silhouette racer developed on the Celica shape by TOM’S failed to qualify for the French enduro in 1980.

Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid Le Mans livery

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Since 1985 there have been a total of 61 Toyota entries at Le Mans over 26 editions of the race. The marque has won overall five times, taken 18 podiums and claimed eight pole positions.

The #8 Toyota of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa will contest Le Mans this year in its regular WEC livery.