Toyota Built A Trans Am … Race Car

The Trans Am racing series is getting a fourth manufacturer. Toyota has been announced as the latest entry in the TA2 class.

The automaker will field a Camry-style body in the spec racing series against the current Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger entries.

TA2 cars are built on what’s known as the Cube3 Architecture and are identical under the skin to keep cost down and the racing close. They have tubular chassis and V8 engines restricted to around 530 hp that send the power to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission.

The cars cost approximately $150,000 upfront to buy and the price to run a full season is in the $500,000 range, but depends on the number of races and how serious a team’s effort is.

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TA2 has become a development series for up-and-coming drivers in a varieity of disciplines, including NASCAR. Current Xfinity Series drivers Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil competed in TA2 last year along with Truck Series drivers Connor Mosack and Gio Ruggiero.

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Defending series champions Nitro Motorsports will be the first team to field the cars with Toyota Development Driver Tyler Gonzalez and Thomas Annuziata scheduled for Road Atlanta the weekend of March 20-23, which is the second event of the 12-race National Championship season.

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“We are thrilled to be able to officially unveil the Toyota Camry body for the TA2 Series,” Jack Irving, general manager, TRD U.S.A. said in a news release. “This body is the result of the diligent effort of so many people at TRD, Trans Am and Five Star. For us at TRD, we continue to see the value of the TA2 Series as our development drivers are able to get quality reps on iconic road courses across the country. This new body further shows the commitment Toyota has to Trans Am, now and into the future.”