Toyota TS040 Le Mans Car Teased, Now With AWD
Toyota is teasing its all-new race car in the hopes of topping the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
After placing second to the dominant Audi team at the 2013 race, Toyota went back to the drawing board and will debut its new TS-040 race car in the near future, replacing the TS-030 model.
The new car has a width that has been reduced by 10cm to meet with new regulations and will trade its rear-wheel drive setup for a new all-wheel drive system. In addition to the V8 gasoline engine, the TS-040 will use a Denso hybrid system in the rear and an Aisin unit on the front axle, regenerating power under braking and turning that energy into added boost under acceleration.
Toyota says the new prototype race car will serve as a test-bed for future models.
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Two cars will be competing this year, both in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship. The driver lineup remains unchanged from last year with drivers Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapiere, Kazuki Nakajima, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin.
More info about the TS-040 will be shared when the car hits the track for its first test session on March 28 at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France.
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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