What’s the Difference Between TRD and GR?

For those plugged into the world of motorsports, Toyota has long been an exhilarating manufacturer to watch both on the track and in off-road races. But the average car consumer likely isn’t aware of Toyota’s long history of racing and performance development. This history is hidden behind familiar brands, such as Toyota Racing Development (TRD) and the more recently introduced Gazoo Racing (GR). That’s why we’ve decided to use this post to uncover the history of Toyota motorsports through the TRD and GR brands while also explaining their contemporary distinctions and Toyota’s plans for both companies.

History of Toyota Racing Development

The origins of Toyota Racing Development reach back to the mid-twentieth century when Toyota was the first Japanese company to enter the racing world through its motorsports division, Toyota Sports Corner (TOSCO). It took a while for Toyota to capture the world’s attention as a high-performance sports car manufacturer with racing chops, but when they teamed up with Yamaha in the mid-1960s to debut the 2000GT, the world’s collective jaw dropped. In 1966, the 2000GT set no less than thirteen International Automobile Federation records for speed and endurance. Toyota had earned their racing stripes.

After another decade of racing triumphs, in 1976 TOSCO rebranded itself, becoming Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Beginning as a parts importer in the U.S., TRD quickly shifted its role toward performance tuning for on-track and street-legal Toyota cars. In the 1980s and 1990s, TRD helped Toyota develop beloved speedsters, such as the 1994 TRD3000GT (a modded version of the BLITZ Racing Team’s 1994 Supra GT500) and the preeminent King of Drift, the AE86.

Across the globe, TRD continued to assist Toyota in developing racing cars throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and in North America specifically, TRD helped Toyota break into the world of off-road truck racing. Driven by the legendary Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, Toyota’s T100 truck took home multiple Baja 1000 racing titles in the 1990s, helping to establish Toyota’s long-standing reputation for designing superior off-road pickups. Nowadays, consumers in the North American market will most likely recognize the TRD brand through its badging on Toyota’s off-road favorites, such as the Tacoma and the 4Runner.

History of Gazoo Racing

While TRD was born out of a rebranding effort, Toyota’s Gazoo Racing developed out of a bond between Toyota’s esteemed master driver, Hiromu Naruse, and his apprentice, Akio Toyoda. (No, the name isn’t a coincidence; Toyoda is the grandson of Toyota Motors founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, and is the company’s current CEO). In 2001, shortly after joining Toyota’s board of directors, Toyoda met Naruse, who offered to teach Toyoda how to drive on one of the most dangerous tracks in the world, the Nürburgring in Germany. Toyoda agreed, and a consequential friendship, bonded by endurance racing, developed.

Over several years, Naruse taught Toyoda how to master the punishing corners and terrifying jumps of the Nürburgring in used Supras (the company had discontinued the beloved model in 2002). And in 2007, Naruse and Toyoda formed a racing team of Toyota employees. Their goal wasn’t necessarily to win races but rather to learn from their racing experience how they could make better cars. This goal inspired them to compete in the Nürburgring’s 24-hour endurance race. But because the team wasn’t officially backed by Toyota Motors, they opted to race under Toyota’s marketing and internet brand, Gazoo.com. 

Thus, Gazoo Racing (GR) was introduced to the world. Though they didn’t come anywhere near winning their first 24-hour endurance race, GR dedicated themselves to learning from these high-performance, arduous races to improve their vehicles. And shortly after debuting at Nürburgring, they caught the attention of engineers at Lexus, who loaned the team prototypes of the LFA to race. In 2010, GR won the 24-hour endurance race, coming in ahead of BMWs, Porsches, and Aston Martins. 

It didn’t take long for GR’s success to be noticed by Toyota executives. And after Toyoda himself became president of the company in 2009, he urged the company to make more exciting cars and established sports conversion brands GRMN (Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring) and G Sports. In 2019, Toyota began producing GR brand-exclusive vehicles with the GR Supra and over the years has added the GR Yaris, GR 86, and GR Corolla to their lineup.

Differences Between TRD and GR

Both TRD and GR have earned their respective sports car racing chops. Racing teams backed by both performance brands have won numerous championships, including the World Rally Championship, NASCAR, Le Mans, and the World Endurance Championship. 

In terms of vehicle production, most U.S. consumers are familiar with TRD trims on Toyota’s off-road capable vehicles. GR, however, is likely a less familiar brand to North American car buyers. While Toyota has been releasing GR versions of their vehicles in Japan for several years, including the Mark X GRMN and the GR Yaris, these models haven’t yet made it to the U.S. However, in 2020, Toyota introduced the GR Supra to the North American market to widespread acclaim. Today, U.S. car buyers can hit the road in a GR Supra, GR 86, or GR Corolla.

So, if TRD and GR are both Toyota performance brands with a history of racing championships, then what’s the difference between them? Toyota has acknowledged the potential for overlap in their two performance brands but has also expressed an interest in making room for both. 

As it stands now, Toyota envisions GR as their global performance brand, focusing on producing track-trained, fun-to-drive versions of Toyota cars. TRD, on the other hand, will continue to be a mainstay of Toyota’s off-road pickup and SUV production. This distinction makes sense, considering the fairly unique popularity of pickup trucks in the U.S. as opposed to the global automotive market, as well as the long-standing reputation of TRD on popular models, such as the Tacoma and the 4Runner.

Now that you know the differences between TRD and GR, you might be curious to check out some of these vehicles and see the differences for yourself. At Longo Toyota in El Monte, California, we’ve got hundreds of new  and used Toyotas in stock, including GR and TRD models. When you’re ready to explore the performance perks of these brands, stop by our dealership, conveniently located off the 10 freeway, or check out our online inventory today.

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