Earlier this week, we reported that the U.S. allocation for Toyota’s newest supercar, the GR GT, was basically sold out. Emphasis on basically, because the automaker later clarified that no money has exchanged hands yet, but they’re well aware that there’s more demand than there is supply—and that’s on purpose.

 

During last weekend’s engineering briefing at Laguna Seca, Toyota Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Andrew Gilleland shared a few more interesting details about the project with me. Specifically, the business case for the enormous expenditure of building a new halo car and a GT3 race car at a time when the economy isn’t exactly booming.