Toyota Debut's Prius GT Prototype at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Prius GT is First Hybrid at Annual Goodwood Event

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the highly prestigious motorsports event which hits England's Goodwood Manor every year.

In the setting of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a Toyota Prius GT Concept was shown for the first time. (Photo: Toyota Canada)

Thousands flock to green pastures and bales of hay to watch historic racing cars tear up Lord March's private tarmac in an attempt to set the fastest time. Everything from ex-championship Jaguar D-Type racers valued on the far side of £1.5m ($3.7m CAD), to ear-splittingly loud Porsches and svelte Aston Martins can be found here. Modern day rally and FIA GT racing cars also have a spot at the Festival of Speed, but amidst the roar of the racers was a car that could easily be deemed out of place by the numerous racing fanatics in the crowd; a Toyota Prius.

Of course, it was no regular run-of-the-mill Prius, but rather a Prius GT Concept being shown for the first time. It's a concrete demonstration of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy

The Prius was joined at the Toyota booth by this year's TF104 Formula One racer, a 1993 Celica GT-Four Castrol World Rally Car, and a 1960s 2000 GT SCCA racer. Other marques were on hand too, including this race prepared Ford Capri. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

Drive development, from a fuel efficiency-biased car to one offering sporting pretensions.

Unlike every other vehicle on the track, the Prius is a gasoline-electric hybrid - the first vehicle of its type to participate in the event. It served a triple purpose; to show the attendees that hybrid power isn't yawn-inducing, to kart around event officials, and to demonstrate a hybrid powered vehicle's performance potential.

Parked alongside this year's TF104 Formula One racer, a 1993 Celica GT-Four Castrol World Rally Car, and a 1960s 2000 GT SCCA racer, the Prius GT stood out at the Toyota booth.