Toyota Gazoo Racing builds special Prius for Le Mans

Engineers at Toyota are having such adoration for the new fifth-generation Prius. They have given the hybrid the Gazoo Racing touch.

Paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and its role in Toyota's development of hybrid technology, Toyota Gazoo Racing unveiled the Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition to the public.

Featuring motorsport styling inspired by the GR010 Hybrid race car, the special Prius gets an aerodynamic kit that consists of side skirts, canards, a rear wing, a diffuser, and 18-inch wheels that look very similar to the ones mounted on the GR010 Hybrid. TGR also put in Le Mans prototype-inspired LED multi-headlights for improved nighttime visibility.

There's also a lightweight carbon fiber hood, as well as the trademark GR graphics to complete the race-ready look of the Prius.

While it looks the part in tearing up the tarmac of the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition won't be racing this weekend. But that may not be the end of it. In the past, Toyota has raced a Prius in Japan's Super GT Series, so who knows? Time can only tell.

But for now, it will be sitting pretty on the Manufacturers' Village as part of the centenary celebrations of the Le Mans 24 hours, and will also be seen on the 6 Hours of Fuji endurance race in September.