This all seems positive to me. Gazoo racing is just a name, we will get used to it, it’s what it stands for is what’s important; the bringing together of toyotas brightest and best to build a new supra.
The fact the person in charge of Gazoo owns a 600bhp Mkiv and recognises that the straight 6 is important and that making sure that “The new car has to appeal to the existing owners first,” shows that Toyota are putting the right people where they need to be on this project.
Likewise, it’s positive to hear Mr Toyoda test driving it (reported a while back) and not being happy with it. It shows how much the want to get this right.
I’m not precious about it not being badged as a Toyota. It’s the way of things now. They were very nearly going to launch the JZA80 under the Lexus brand, as I’ve said before as it was sold through Lexus dealerships in the UK and on stands at launch it had Lexus branding over it, together with Toyota. They will perhaps have wished they went through with it as one of the reasons it stopped selling was because of badge snobbery, so they won’t want to make the same mistake again where they can avoid it.
It’s worth meantioning that communities like ours have had a part to play in them taking it as seriously as they have. I’ve read before that they scour the forums to gauge feelings, and they are very aware of who a significant chunk of their loyal customers are.
I’m pretty excited to see what comes of it actually.