Rebirth of a legend

There is no doubt that the Supra has gone down in history as one of the car names that would be always remembered and helping its resurgence was of course, the series of Fast and Furious movies. But its rebirth did not seem likely. Toyota had even stopped making the inline six engine that all Supras of the past were powered by. Help came in the unlikely form of a collaboration with BMW and with the Bavarian marque looking for a successor to its second generation Z4, it seemed to be a matchmade-in-heaven, because BMW has been using inline sixes for nearly a 100 years. So the Supra not only shares it engine with the Z4 but also the platform architecture. And apart from using many parts on the interiors that, look, feel and operate and are reminiscent of BMWs, the Z4 and the Supra are as different as chalk and cheese. The Supra is a bulbous, well rounded design, with a heavy and muscular backside and a long but pointed nose.

Condensed extreme meets romance is what the company calls it and one has to agree that this is a mixture of extremes packed in a rather small body. While both the Toyota and the BMW are expressive designs, the Japanese beats the German hands down.

Even though the underpinnings are the same and so is the powertrain and both are also being made at the same place, the interiors of the Supra are also totally different from those of the Z4, harking back to BMWs of the previous generation. More analog and more sportscar like, with Japanese touches.

The car also sounds different and drives and handles totally differently as well. The Supra has been tuned to be the quintessential sportscar, offbalance, tuned to excite as if on a razor-edge. The steering is as direct as I have seen on a road going car in recent memory and with its short wheelbase it seems to turn on a dime. The engine seems to have acquired a different character and is gruff and urgent with throttle response being instantaneous. A drive in the Supra is sure to leave you grinning from ear to ear albeit with a pain in the back!