SUPRA vs SUPRA
Same name, one slightly more Germanic than the other
THAT’S... A SUPRA?
Thanks to a starring role in the first of (too) many Fast & Furious films, the A80-generation Toyota Supra is one of the most recognisable cars in the world. But its ancestors, the cars that coined the name, barely get a look in. Take the A70. Toyota sold more than 18 times as many A70s in the UK as it did A80s, but it gets only a tiny fraction of the attention.
WHY’S THAT? WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT?
Not much, as far as we can see. The Supra name dates back to the Seventies A40. The A70, the first Supra built on a bespoke rear-drive platform, arrived in the UK in 1986 and, like the A60 before it and A80 after it, was somewhat ahead of its time. Among other things, it had double-wishbone suspension at each corner (with forged aluminium uppers to save weight), and three-way electronically adjustable shock absorbers were optional.
REMIND ME... WHAT’S THE NEW ONE LIKE TO DRIVE?
Supras are GTs at heart, but they’ve gotten increasingly schporty as the years have passed. Today’s A90 is something of a halfway house, with its placid ride and quiet cabin it’s better over long distances than a Porsche Cayman, yet its 2,470mm wheelbase and progressive, well-weighted steering mean it’s still agile and confidence-inspiring. That said, there are issues: the gearbox is only just about quick-fire enough for a sports car and the engine, while punchy and smooth, lacks character or intrigue. It also feels like a BMW, but that comes as no surprise given its underpinnings.
AND WHAT OF THE OLD CAR?
The A70 uses a turbo 3.0 straight-six paired with an auto, like the new car. But it’s undoubtedly more of a GT – with an impressively smooth ride, slushy torque-converter auto and refined motor.
It doesn’t feel fast in a modern sense – the way it accelerates isn’t at all explosive or sudden, the turbo comes on pretty smoothly by Eighties standards (Porsche 911 Turbo, we’re looking at you) and the engine keeps itself together as the revs rise. Very Zen.
Outward visibility is good – the new car feels like a pillbox in comparison – the seats are very comfortable and even after 130,000 miles and three decades, this particular largely standard car feels incredibly well screwed together. The steering has good feel and weight, but the brakes are lacking, betraying the fact this thing is a bit of a heffalump.
BET IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE A BMW.
Correct, and that’s important. The A70 has character all of its own, and doesn’t feel even remotely German. The new car stands up dynamically and we’re glad it a) exists and b) signals the return of an iconic name, but we still mourn the loss of its Japanese-ness.