GT5 Transcripts/Toyota GT-ONE Race Car (TS020) '99

In 1998, Toyota decided to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since its days racing Group C cars. Back then, Toyota developed its road race cars exclusively in-house, within Japan. However, this time it entrusted the project to the group in charge of their World Rally Championship activities, German-based TTE (Toyota Team Europe) - The car it created was truly a world-class machine.
The new Le Mans Car, the TS020, was designed by André de Cortanze, known for styling the Peugeot 905B that conquered Le Mans in 1993. He pulled no punches with this car, incorporating the latest F1 technology into the design of the TS020.
Powering the svelte-looking car was the same twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V8 developed during the company's Group C days. The car's handling was a notch above the competition, with long control arms à la Formula 1.
In its first outing at Le Mans in 1998, the TS020 showed superior performance, faster than any other car on the track, but mechanical trouble and an accident dashed any hope of winning. The following year, Toyota entered three TS020s. Of those, the lead and second car retired early, but the third car, driven by Ukyo Katayama, Toshio Suzuki, and Keiichi Tsuchiya managed to stay in the race and ultimately took 2nd place. This was the highest finish ever for a Japanese car driven by an all-Japanese team at Le Mans.
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