Toyota enters the historic 1000 Miglia for the first time through a Gran Turismo-style classic race program

Toyota Motor Corporation will participate in the 1000 Miglia Gran Turismo Experience 2026, a special program tied to the historic Italian rally 1000 Miglia, running in Brescia from June 9 to June 13, 2026 (Japan time). Toyota says the move marks the first time a Japanese manufacturer has entered vehicles in a 1000 Miglia-related event.

The 1000 Miglia traces its roots to a public road race held in Italy from 1927 to 1957. Toyota describes the original race as an effort to showcase the technological value of production cars, including performance, durability and safety, and notes that the event’s 1,000-mile name (about 1,600 kilometers) came to symbolize both distance and spectacle across Italy’s landscapes.

In the modern era, Toyota says the rally has been carried forward as a historic event limited to cars that keep their original form from the 1927 to 1957 period. Toyota also frames the event as a celebration of automotive “art” that honors beauty, function, tradition and history, drawing iconic cars from around the world and influencing European automotive culture.

Toyota’s participation is through the 1000 Miglia Gran Turismo Experience, which the automaker says is a newer competition concept organized by Polyphony Digital Inc., the developer of the Gran Turismo driving simulator series, in collaboration with the 1000 Miglia. The stated aim, Toyota said, is to enable a wider range of classic cars to take part.

Toyota plans to enter five vehicles in the supporting program, each tied to the company’s history, motorsports-linked development goals and Japanese automotive culture. The vehicles and the specific eras Toyota highlights include the first-generation Crown Model RS (launched in January 1955 as Japan’s first fully domestically produced passenger car, and later, Toyota says, the first Japanese vehicle to compete in the Round Australia Rally in 1957), the Sports 800 (launched April 1965 as Toyota’s first two-seat sports car, derived from the Publica Sports, and noted by Toyota for its race results including winning the inaugural Suzuka 500 km without refueling), and the Supra in the JZA80 model generation.

Toyota also said the lineup includes the Lexus LFA, described as the pinnacle of Lexus’s F series of premium sports cars and engineered with performance work that included development at the Nürburgring under the direction of the late Hiromu Naruse, Toyota’s master driver. Toyota adds that the LFA later achieved multiple class victories across Nürburgring 24 Hours Race categories. The automaker further says the Supra embodies Toyota’s sports-car identity, and connects the model to the brand’s “THE SPORTS OF TOYOTA” vision as well as motorsports performance in the JGTC (now SUPER GT) series.

Toyota said the team’s objective for the 1,000-mile course is to complete the full distance with a first-generation Crown positioned as the lead car. Beyond the driving effort itself, Toyota said the visit is intended to enable firsthand learning from an automotive culture rooted in the event and the surrounding region.

Under a slogan associated with the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, “Let’s make cars a part of Japan’s culture,” Toyota says it will also seek to foster exchange between European and Japanese automotive cultures and build relationships with “like-minded partners” to help expand automotive culture together.

The company’s release does not detail additional operational specifics, such as the exact vehicle specifications for the entries, how Toyota’s cars will compare to other period-eligible competitors, or whether Toyota expects to take part in any broader promotional activities beyond the event itself. It also does not quantify how Toyota’s participation will be measured internally, such as marketing reach, media impressions or technical learnings.

For the rest of the week, the focus will likely be on whether Toyota’s historic-car lineup can complete the course under the constraints the modern 1000 Miglia applies, and on how the 1000 Miglia Gran Turismo Experience concept plays out as a bridge between classic competition and contemporary motorsport culture. Automakers are increasingly using heritage events to reinforce brand narratives, but the practical test for Toyota will be endurance, compliance with period-preservation rules, and reliability over the full route.