Toyota can now lay claim to having fielded the first hybrid vehicle to win an endurance race. The Denso SARD Supra HV-R won the Tokachi 24-hour race in convincing fashion, finishing 19 laps up on the second place car for a total of 616. The hybridized Super GT-spec Supra took the pole, lead all day, and opened up a significant gap in the final hours of the competition. It also had the fastest lap of the event. Powered by a 4,4480cc 3UZ-FE V8 augmented with a regenerative braking system, in-wheel electric motors in front, and a larger single electric motor for the rear wheels, the Supra HV-R was the sole GT-class entrant in this year's race. With reports saying that a production version of the FT-HS concept is on the way, we should be able to get a taste of what a streetable hybrid sports car is like in due time. In the meantime, Toyota has gone out and shown what a motorsports-prepared hybrid is capable of.

[Source: SARD]

Click image to enlarge

Last year, Toyota Team SARD contested and completed Japan's Tokachi 24-hour endurance race with a specially-prepared Lexus GS450h. The car finished 4th in class and 17th overall. And now, Toyota Team SARD's heading back with some upgraded firepower. The team announced that it will enter the Denso SARD Supra HV-R in this year's race, scheduled to go down July 15. The Supra HV-R is a hybrid whose Super GT-spec 4,480cc V8 is augmented with regenerative braking, a pair of 10kW in-wheel motors up front and a 150kW motor in the rear. The engine's output is rated at 480 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, and the car's weight will come in at a little over 2,300 pounds.

The provisional racing livery is shown in the artwork above, and we'll report back when SARD unveils the finished car. Until then, we'll sum it up with one word:

Cool.

[Source: SARD]