Toyota reveals Le Mans retro livery

To honor the 40-year anniversary of Toyota's first entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1985, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe has unveiled a special retro livery for its No. 7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid. Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and driver/team principal Kamui Kobayashi will carry the red and white colors of the Toyota GT-One, which first raced at Le Mans in 1998. 

A car that pushed the GT1 regulations of the late 1990s to the bleeding edge, the twin-turbo V8-powered GT-One was the first factory-run Toyota to compete at Le Mans. TGR-E (then known as Toyota Team Europe) entered three GT-Ones in '98 and '99.

Both years, the GT-One came within fingertips of achieving Toyota's dream of an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1998, the No. 29 Toyota of Thierry Boutsen, Geoff Lees, and Ralf Kelleners led the race with 90 minutes to go until a gearbox failure forced them to retire from the race.

The Toyota GT-One TS020 of Geoff Lees, Ralf Kelleners and Thierry Boutsen at Le Mans in 1998. Sutton/Getty Images

One year later, the all-Japanese trio of Ukyo Katayama, Toshio Suzuki and Keiichi Tsuchiya were leading in the No. 3 GT-One with an hour to go, until Katayama suffered a tire puncture at speed. His quick reflexes saved the car from a more catastrophic accident, and the car held on to win the LMGTP class as its sole survivor -- but the puncture relegated the car to second place overall.

Toyota would finally claim the outright victory Le Mans in 2018, the first of five consecutive overall victories at the famous Grand Prix d'Endurance. 

While it never took an overall victory in three races -- including its swansong in the 1999 Fuji 1000km -- the GT-One is fondly remembered as one of the most exciting and beloved sports cars of the era. Its inclusion in video games and racing simulator series such as Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport has allowed it to be appreciated by newer generations of sports car racing fans.

The No. 8 Toyota GR010 of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa will continue to carry Toyota Gazoo Racing's traditional matte black racing livery at Le Mans.