2020 Toyota Supra marks return of a legend
It’s finally here. Yes, the wait is over. The eagle — oops, Toyota’s 2020 Supra — has landed.
It’s had something of a long gestation period, has the Supra. First rumoured in 2007 when Toyota released the FT-HS concept and further stoked in 2010 when the company applied for a trademark of the Supra name, the anticipation reached a fevered pitch in Detroit at the 2014 North American International Auto Show, when Toyota took the wraps off the stunning FT-1. Well, the production version is finally here, and other than the alterations required to render it practical, the new Supra remains faithful to the achingly gorgeous FT-1.
All of the strakes, louvres and air inlets are present and accounted for, albeit a little diminished in size. The nose remains aggressive, the flip-up spoiler impressive and those outrageous rear fenders almost as bulbous. Like all Supras past, the new GR version takes much of its inspiration — such as the iconic “double-bubble” roof — from the rare-as-hen’s-teeth 2000 GT.
Other than a Kammback vaguely reminiscent of the Z4 M Coupe, there’s precious little to the new Supra that says “built by BMW.”
Of course, the new Supra is BMW-based (albeit further developed by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division). That means the new Supra, like previous iterations, will be powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine. In this case, it is Munich’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre, massaged for 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque.