The Toyota Supra is back
An all-new Supra, with more than a touch of BMW’s influence, is on the way, writes Damien O’Carroll.
After many years of hints, ‘‘leaks’’ and teasers, Toyota has finally revealed the all new Supra at the Detroit Motor Show.
The return of the iconic nameplate is something that enthusiasts have been clamouring for ever since the last Supra went out of production 17 years ago and, while it is pretty much a BMW underneath, the new version looks suitably aggressive, is rear-wheel drive and is powered (in top-spec form at least) by a powerful turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine. Just like a Supra should be.
The new Supra is the first global model of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s GR road-going sports car series and the company says that ‘‘the knowledge and know-how it has built up over the years have been funnelled into bringing the Supra back to life’’.
As such, the new Supra’s official model designation is ‘‘GR Supra’’, in honour of the racing team’s input into its development.
Toyota calls the new car’s design ‘‘Condensed Extreme’’, meaning that the focus was on a short wheelbase, big wheels, a wide stance, and a long, low hood.
As such, the new car is 135mm shorter than the last-generation SZ Supra, with an 80mm shorter wheelbase (which is also 100mm shorter than the current 86). It is, however, both fractionally wider (by 54mm) and taller (by around 20mm depending on model) than the fourth-gen car.
Weight is down slightly over the previous model, and power is supplied by not only the expected 3.0-litre inline six, but also two versions of BMW’s 2.0-litre fourcylinder turbo engine.
The Japanese-market base 2.0-litre SZ gets a 145kW/320Nm version of the turbo-four, while