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Key Takeaways
- Toyota Camry retains fan favorite status due to reliability, safety, affordability, and various trims like the TRD and Nightshade.
- Top-of-the-line 2024 Camry trim boasts a 3.5L V6 engine with 301 horsepower, but the sedan isn’t a track-dominating nameplate.
- The possibility of a mid-engine V8 Camry is intriguing, but cost and weight challenges may hinder its production on a large scale.
Iconic in its own right, the Camry nameplate helped make Toyota a household name. And while SUVs have become all the rage in the past decade, this sedan has managed to retain fan favorite status thanks to its reliability, high safety ratings, affordability, and variety (with Toyota releasing trims like the TRD and Nightshade to give the Camry an aesthetic and sporty edge).
The 2024 Toyota Camry’s top-of-the-line trim has a 3.5-liter V6 engine that shoots out 301 horses and 276 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds. Although these performance metrics are all shades of stellar for its market, they aren’t enough to qualify the Camry as a nameplate that dominates the racing track.
UPDATE: 2024/03/27 20:10 EST BY BENSON AKIMS
Although the Camry is typically referred to as a daily driver without an atom of sportiness, HC digital render artist Rostislav Prokop’s render gives the sedan a shot at redemption with a mid-engine Camry V8. We’ve updated this article to include information providing comprehensive insight into what structure, performance outputs, and price points a mid-engined V8 Camry might depict if it ever makes its way to the manufacturing lines.
But what if we could use the Toyota Camry and race-day performance in the same sentence? While it might seem like we’re building castles in the clouds, we provide a virtual glimpse of how a mid-engine V8 Camry sports car could shape up to be thanks to this exclusive render curated by digital artist Rostislav Prokop. On the surface, Toyota might not have a similar commitment in its sights. However, closer inspection shows that the Japanese automaker possesses all the ingredients to make a V8 Camry sports car a reality!
Can Toyota Actually Build A Mid-engine V8 Camry?
Pros And Cons Of A Mid-Engine Sports Car
Pros
- Top-tier weight distribution
- Improved traction
- Fluid handling
- Lower center of gravity
Cons
- Reduced cabin space as the transmission and engine are located in the middle leaves no space for rear seats
- Higher maintenance costs due to the expertise required to adequately work on these cars
- Increased chances of oversteering when out of control.
Admittedly, Toyota hasn’t built a mid-engine sports car since the MR-2 went out of production in 2007. The little MX-5 rival had a fantastic chassis, and the engineering team in Nagoya has undeniable experience in building great handling sports cars.
The Toyota engineering team also has a wealth of motorsport partners to help with car development. Toyota Gazoo Racing has been running mid-engine, hybrid prototypes in the World Endurance Championship for over a decade now, while Japanese outfit, APR Racing, developed and continues to run a mid-engine V8 Prius GT300 car in the Super GT championship.
Toyota has also recently developed a partnership with BMW, culminating in the revival of the iconic Supra with the A90 MK5. With the BMW i8 having gone out of production recently, Toyota could potentially develop an updated version of the i8’s chassis to make the project more financially viable. While borrowing a chassis from BMW might be the answer, it doesn’t appear that Toyota would need to re-use an engine from the Bavarians, as they did with the latest Supra.
1:05
This 2025 Toyota Camry Render Looks Like The Sportiest Version Of The Camry Yet
The upcoming 2025 Camry will be as efficient and reliable as ever, and our render shows it wouldn’t take much to turn it into a sleek sports sedan.
Toyota Already Has A V8 Ready For A Mid-Engined Camry
Performance
|
2023 Lexus LC 500 Coupe |
Toyota Camry V8 (Speculative) |
|
|
Engine |
5.0-liter V8 |
5.0-liter V8 (hybridized) |
|
Horsepower |
471 hp |
650 hp |
|
Torque |
398 lb-ft |
550 lb-ft |
|
Transmission |
10-speed shiftable automatic |
Six-speed manual or eight-speed automated manual |
Toyota’s luxury division, Lexus, has been utilizing the naturally aspirated 2UR-GSE 5.0-liter V8 engine in all its top-range sports coupes and sedans for nearly a decade. The most powerful of which is found in the underrated Lexus LC500 coupe, producing 471 hp and almost 400 lb-ft of torque; an output that prompts a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph.
The Japanese automaker was also one of the first adopters of mainstream hybrid technology with the Prius (a nameplate whose current model boasts a stellar combined fuel economy of 57 MPG) and has continued its push for hybridity, with motorsport projects in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship and the World Rally Championship.
If Toyota were to put the V8 Camry into production, it is highly likely we would see a hybrid system – potentially sending the power to all four wheels through an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. However, if Toyota really wanted a sales hit, a 6-speed manual option would send gearheads into a fever pitch.
The combination of an updated UR 5.0 liter V8 along with a state-of-the-art hybrid system would likely result in the Camry V8 hitting close to 650 HP and 550 lb. ft of torque – more than enough to take on potential rivals like the game-changing C8 Chevrolet Corvette and the now discontinued Acura NSX.
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Could Toyota Make The V8 Camry Sports Car Affordable And Fun?
Pricing
|
Nameplate |
Starting MSRP |
|
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 |
$112,700 |
|
Toyota Camry V8 (speculative) |
$110,000+ |
Unfortunately, hybridity and AWD systems do add weight, and one of the biggest complaints leveled at most modern sports cars – and most of the top-range Lexus sports cars – is that an increase in weight dampens driving involvement.
The obvious answer would be to build the mid-engine Camry from carbon fiber. Although its integration will make the Camry V8 lightweight enough to offer lightning-quick acceleration and nimble handling, there’s the thorny issue of how much the car would cost, since carbon fiber isn’t exactly cheap. And with fun sports cars like the 2024 Corvette C8 Z06 starting at $112,700, Toyota would still have to be sensible and price its Camry V8 similarly. Why? Toyota’s last supercar endeavor, the gorgeous naturally aspirated V10 Lexus LFA, now has an astronomical average price of $884,624, and the Japanese car manufacturer can’t afford to make the same mistake again if they want the car to sell.
1:30
Our Toyota Corolla Cross Pickup Truck Render Has The Ford Maverick Sweating Nervously
If Toyota keeps things as affordable and simple as our exclusive render, they might beat Ford at their own game.
In reality, it’s massively unlikely Toyota will ever produce a mid-engined V8 Camry sports car. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun imagining what it would look like if they did. For now, though, if you’re looking for a fun V8 sports car, the C8 Corvette looks like your best option. Either that or you wait for Ford’s insane-looking 800-HP Mustang GTD, set to debut in 2025.
Sources: Toyota, Lexus, Edmunds, Classic.com, and Chevrolet.
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