Gazoo Racing the new ///M

[Tsuki]

I just don't know why Toyota got rid of TRD. I think the name Gazoo is pretty ridiculous but what can you do?

'Gazoo Racing' might sound fairly silly, but they have a much cooler origin story than TRD. The real problem is that Toyota are inconsistent in their branding. You have TRD Offroad/TRD Pro trucks, GR cars, and F cars in the Lexus lineup. I think they would present a much more consistent message if they badged everything as GR, which they've already started doing overseas.

Since Akio Toyoda was one of the founders of Gazoo Racing, bringing the name into the Toyota fold. Gazoo are much more like Mugen than TRD, honestly.

That aside, many people think the name 'TRD' is silly, because it's like an abbreviation of 'turd'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Gazoo_Racing

In 2007, an in-house team consisted of student test drivers and mechanics led by Hiromu Naruse, who was a test driver of Toyota, competed in the 24 Hours Nürburgring race. Akio Toyoda, then the vice president of Toyota, who received driving instruction directly from Naruse, also participated as a driver.[1] At that time, he was not allowed to call the team "Works Toyota Racing". Therefore, the name Team Gazoo was used instead. "Gazoo" (from 画像 (Gazō, lit. "image")) is the name of a portal site that Toyota was involved in establishing. And in public relations, the drivers were also given the nicknames "Cap" for Naruse and "Morizo" for Toyoda. Also, as there were minimal budgets, they used the Altezzas and BMW E90s, which at the time had been discontinued, as the race car project. The Gazoo website posted the activity report as an amateur race project.

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[ApexMissingApe]

I'd absolutely buy the red one. I hope they make the vents functional on the GR SUV.

Ha, me too! Just don’t call it a Supra. Maybe call it a Toyota Arpus.

 

[puzzled]

Tsuki means moon or essentially, bare arse..

So if one can handle a handle like bare arse, then I am sure Gazoo sounds leaps normal?

 

[nibble]

may be I will buy that GR SUV to tow GR supra to track?

 

[Schang105]

I'd be first in line for a GR Prius. Give me useable space with amazing fuel economy w/out being tethered to a charger network which handles like a dream at 8/10ths.

I actually saw this gem (TRD Prius) at a local event hosted by Clemson Uni. I'd give props to the owner but don't know who it is.

 

[BMWAF]

I'd be first in line for a GR Prius. Give me useable space with amazing fuel economy w/out being tethered to a charger network which handles like a dream at 8/10ths.

I actually saw this gem (TRD Prius) at a local event hosted by Clemson Uni. I'd give props to the owner but don't know who it is.

Ew.

 

[nosavingthrow]

 

[LinkMK5]

If you pronounce it Ga zoo like the green alien, then yeah it's stupid.
But it's supposed to be pronounced Gazoh as in 画像 or image in Nihongo.. so sounds just as dumb in America.

I mean image racing sounds like you're image training before a race or recital.. ? who the hell came up with the name.

I mean, most of the Japanese tuning shops have pretty silly names when you think about it. RWB literally translates to Rough World, and let's not mention the older tuning shops like Trust and Signal

 

[puzzled]

I mean, most of the Japanese tuning shops have pretty silly names when you think about it. RWB literally translates to Rough World, and let's not mention the older tuning shops like Trust and Signal

.. and Mines or Bride pronounced incorrectly “buri doh”..

Work.. why call something fun work? work is not fun.

 

[TheLJWay]

I mean image racing sounds like you're image training before a race or recital.. ? who the hell came up with the name.

I always thought it still sounded cool. Toyota Image Racing like it’s the ideal racing team or when you picture a racing team, it’s Toyota.

 

[aredub]

Ironically, I took a crash course on GR today through my employer. Prior to what Wiki described as the beginnings of GR. It was really a system of selling used cars on the internet. This was during the internet’s infancy, so Toyota didn’t want it’s name attached to it at that point. “gazou” or Gazoo Racing was born from there.

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