In today's automotive landscape it’s rare that a company designs a vehicle aimed entirely at auto enthusiasts. The majority of contemporary vehicles are designed to satisfy multiple needs such as space for the whole family, a bit of style and a bit of performance. After nearly two helpless decades, the traditionally conservative Toyota Motor Co. is targeting a new audience. The Supra has finally been resurrected to satiate the desires of a generation of gamers and car film fanatics.
The Supra’s near 20 year absence means that we won’t see too many legacy buyers returning to the dealerships, Toyota will be looking to attract a new generation. Just take a look at this 1993 Supra https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-toyota-supra-31/ that sold for $57000 USD! That’s $7000 more than a base model 2020 Supra. Toyota has recognized that the Supra’s fan base has reached an age where obtaining their Fast & Furiesque dreams can finally be met. Toyota needed a sports car to fill the void.
Let us take a moment to advise the uninitiated on what made the Mark 4 Supra such a legend.It has many of the ingredients, which add up to a classic sports car recipe. Inline-six up front, rear wheel drive. The Mark 4 Supra turbo was $50,000 USD in 1996! Which is about the equivalent of) $80,000 in today's dollars). In fact, the Mark 4 was built on the bones of an SC Lexus chassi. When we are talking about something niech like a two seater sports car, the development expenses may be hard to justify. An easy workaround, would have been to) take an existing Toyota or Lexus product, shorten the vehicle and badged it as a Supra. What makes this car special is that it was designed from the ground up to be a sports car with the Supra moniker.
Here is where the controversy begins, instead of pulling parts from the Toyota bin they went looking for a partner who could help. That partner is the modern day masters of the inline-six … BMW. BMW and Toyota benchmarket the Porsche 718 for what they wanted to accomplish. Toyota and BMW decided to split the competition, with Toyota going after the hardtop 718 and the BMW Z4 targeting the 718 Roadster.
From the outside this car is unique. It does not look like any Toyota or Lexus on the market today. We noticed the homage to the Mark 4 Supra in the headlights and same font for the “Supra” badge on the trunk lid.The rear fenders flare out dramatically and the flare continues forward along the doors. You won’t find a sunroof on this purposefully built sports car, as Toyota has gone with a double bubble bulge so both occupants have enough head room with crash helmets on.
The interior of the Supra will feel very familiar to anyone who has been in a modern BMW. The center console, shifter, steering wheel, seat controls and infotainment system are lifted directly from the luxury German automaker. It was only when looking at the door panels did we notice the familiar JBL speaker housing that is found on most higher end Toyota products. There is no shame in using BMW parts for the interior as the cabin feels well built. The gage cluster is unique to this car and we prefer it to the look of the gauges in most modern BMW’s.
The driving dynamics of the new Supra did not disappoint. The power delivery from the BMW sourced inline six and eight-speed auto is direct and linear. It certainly has enough power to silence the inevitable stop light challenge. The car is nimble and comes standard with a limited slip differential for an added push through the corners. The driving modes allow for both daily driving and potential track use.
Toyota has been promising to build more exciting cars and the return of the Supra is a great halo car for the lineup. It’s unfortunate that this vehicle is not being offered in North America with a manual transmission. We understand that automatic transmission is the sole transmission being offered at the moment to satisfy the masses and help get this niche product on to more driveways. Paul Walker would look perfect behind the wheel of the new Supra in Fast & Furious 17. It has a unique racer look to it and is very usable for daily or track day driving. At the end of the day it's nice to see a brand new Supra that's a proper sports car and not a crossover SUV.
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