For a lot of car enthusiasts, there are some car models that simply leave you wistful and breathless. For these people, a car is more than just something that takes you from point A to point B. Instead, it’s a piece of automotive ingenuity that must be revered and driven to the limit.
For Toyota, the Supra has always been more than just a car. It’s a piece of the automaker’s legacy, one that they have been obsessed with for decades. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt that the Supra has a coolness factor. “When you talk Toyota and cool cars, Supra is the first thing that comes to mind for many auto enthusiasts,” remarked Ed Laukes, the group vice president for Toyota Division Marketing.
According to Toyota, the beginnings of the Supra came when the model’s badge first appeared on a “larger and more powerful version” of its second-generation Celica back in 1978. Soon after, the Supra became an iconic car in its own right.
The original Supra was also known as the A40. Over the years, this gave way to three more generations of the Supra. These included the A60 in 1981, the A70 back in 1986 and finally the A80 back in 1993. Since then, there have not been any new Supra models out of Toyota. Fortunately, that is all about to change. That’s because, in 2019, the highly anticipated A90 Supra will be revealed at long last.
For Toyota, the Supra’s timely return comes with a twofold plan. As Laukes explained, “Supra’s return in production form is huge news, but now we’re also going to see this iconic sports car return to American motorsport.”
And while there are some details that are already available regarding the upcoming Supra, some tidbits of information are also yet to be confirmed. To be sure that you are caught up, we have compiled some of the things that we know for sure about the Supra along with rumors that have not been addressed so far.
20 We Know: A manual version is unlikely
For some drivers, it is almost necessary to have a manual transmission when it comes to a sports car. However, for the upcoming A90 Supra, it seems Toyota is not even close to considering having a manual transmission variant.
According to a report from Car Buzz, Tada once explained to a Japanese magazine that a manual option is not being considered because the Supra essentially has “too much torque to handle a manual.”
So if you happen to be yearning for a manual transmission for the upcoming Supra, perhaps it’s time to face facts and move on. Even without a manual transmission, the new Supra will likely still be great.
19 We Know: The new Supra was developed alongside the upcoming BMW Z4
Another thing that makes the upcoming A90 Supra quite special is that it was developed alongside the upcoming third-generation BMW Z4. Nonetheless, Toyota assures fan that both cars would still differ significantly from each other.
As A90 Supra lead engineer Tada has explained at the Geneva Motor Show, “It’s different to the Z4; they are two different cars. We didn’t start by finding common parts. We worked on our own ideas to see what cars we wanted to create, then we shared ideas to identify where we can share common parts.”
Moreover, Tada has also said that the A90 Supra will be a “pure sports car.” On the other hand, the Z4 will be a luxury sports car.
18 We Know: The Supra has been in the works for the last seven years
For the upcoming A90 Supra, it was important for Toyota to make sure that everything would be perfect. Because of this, the team behind the Supra, which is being led by A90 Supra engineer Tetsuya Tada, took as long as seven years to develop a car that they could be truly proud of. As Tada had told the Toyota GB blog, “The normal cycle for car development is around three years but with this project, we wanted to make absolutely sure it was right.”
Recently, the new Supra’s prototype was revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In regard to the reveal, Tada could not be more pleased. “All I can say is that I’m just so happy that we’ve made it to this point. I’ve finally been able to reveal the car to the UK; it’s the happiest day of my life. And to drive it up the hill at Goodwood was a really exciting experience,” he remarked.
17 We Know: A mid-engine layout was considered until Toyoda said no
During a recent interview with Top Gear, Tada disclosed that he and his team decided to benchmark the mid-engine Porsche Cayman for overall performance and handling feel while working on the new Supra.
This led them to consider making the Supra mid-engined just like the Cayman. However, Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyota said no.
“We stuck with front engine because of feel and control. We know how to control a front-engine car, we already have that capability,” Tada explained. “In the planning stages we suggested a mid-engine layout and BMW was happy to go with it, but I took the idea to Akio Toyoda and he told me off.”
16 We Know: There will be a track version of the Supra
The upcoming Supra is absolutely nothing like your typical sports car. Instead, it’s going to be a sports car that has an incredible ability to race. After all, this is a car that is built to rule the track, having appeared twice in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France back in the 1990s. Aside from this, the Supra has also previously raced in both Japan and America. In fact, it had already participated in the Super GT Competition and IMSA Camel GT Series during the 1980s.
Toyota is currently referring to the track version as the GR Supra Racing Concept. Moreover, Tada had also told Top Gear, “At some point, I would like to make a track-limited Supra with less weight. We’re already making a racing version, so we know if you take out 100kg it’s a completely different car – you don’t even need any more power.”
15 We Know: The cabin design of the track version is all about business
Believe us when we tell you that Toyota is serious about producing an extremely impressive racing version of the upcoming Supra.
In fact, its cabin is absolutely designed like it means business.
According to Toyota, “Inside the GR Supra Racing Concept's carbon-fiber-lined cabin, it's all business. If it isn't built for performance or safety, it doesn't get in. Period. The quick-release OMP steering wheel includes a state-of-the-art LED dash display and a paddle-shift system for lightning-fast gear shifts. The driver's seat is designed for high-speed cornering, and a full roll cage, safety harness and fire extinguishers put safety front and center too.”
14 We Know: Further design details about the track version have already been revealed
As far as the GR Supra Racing Concept is concerned, Toyota has been quite candid about its design details. According to Toyota, “The racing concept has a dramatic bodywork design that includes a large rear wing. It makes extensive use of strong but lightweight composite material for elements such as the wide front and rear bumpers, front splitter and rear diffuser, side skirts, door mirror housings, and the rear wing. The hood is crafted from the same material and features louvered air inlets. The windscreen and side windows are made of plastic.” Meanwhile, the doors are reportedly lined with strong carbon fiber panels.
13 We Know: A lightweight version of the car is being considered
Tada has revealed that there are plans to make a lightweight version of the Supra. In fact, the lead engineer has told Top Gear, “Question is, will it be road-legal or a track-only toy? We’re investigating both avenues, there’s always a trade-off because being road-legal brings restrictions.”
Meanwhile, according to a report from Road and Track, should a lightweight version of the new Supra become available, it would most likely be offered as a special edition model.
Moreover, it may be called the Supra GRMN, which is short for Gazoo Racing, Meisters of Nurburgring. According to the publication, this is a “label currently applied to other Toyota products tuned by the automaker’s in-house motorsports group.”
12 We Know: The Supra will be joining NASCAR
Since Toyota has plans to introduce a racing version of the upcoming A90 Supra, it only made sense that it would also join a high-octane racing event such as NASCAR. In fact, according to a report from Motorsport, the Supra will be introduced into the Xfinity Series competition during the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2019. The car will reportedly be unveiled by NASCAR drivers Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch.
“For Supra to be racing in NASCAR just speaks to how important this vehicle is to us, and that we believe Supra can be a bona fide championship winner,” Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson also remarked during an interview with Motorsport.
11 We Know: The new Supra could race in other motorsports as well
Aside from being utilized in the NASCAR Infinity Series competition, it also seems that Toyota is planning to enter the upcoming A90 Supra in other high-octane motorsports events.
In fact, during an interview with Top Gear, Tada had said he is also looking at LM GTE category as another possible competition for the Supra. Here, it is likely that Toyota’s newest sportscar would be pitted against the likes of the Porsche 911, Ferrari 488, Aston Vantage and Ford GT.
Whether or not Toyota will push through with this plan remains to be seen. For everyone’s sake though, let’s hope that they do.
10 We Know: The new Supra would have greater rigidity than the GT86
When it comes and its performance cars, it can be said that there is an almost equal passion for both the Supra and the GT86. For the company, the two models are like siblings with the Supra being the older, more rigid brother.
As Tada has explained to the Toyota GB blog, “Akio [Toyoda] has always said that as a company he would like to have Three Brothers, with the GT86 in the middle and Supra as the big brother. So we’ve tried to aim for the Supra to offer an overwhelming superiority in all attributes. For example, people were happy that the GT86 had a very low center of gravity… but the Supra has an even lower center of gravity, and its body rigidity is twice that of the GT86.”
9 We Know: Toyota hopes hardcore Supra fans will embrace the A90
From the beginning, Tada has always said that he has much respect for the previous generations of the Supra.
That said, he is hoping hardcore Supra fans over the years will give the new A90 a chance.
As he said in an interview on the Toyota GB blog, “I’m really looking forward to hearing from them, actually. Thinking back to the introduction of the GT86, some owners of classic AE86 models were quite hard to please and were very critical of the new car. So it may be similar to this car. I know there are hardcore owners of the previous generations out there and it may be hard to convince them just by introducing a new car. But I have an open stance and want to offer my respect for the older Supra models. In turn, I hope the owners will be open enough to see what the new model is all about, even if it takes them some time to fully accept it.”
8 We Know: The Supra may well be the last of its kind
Just like other industries, the automotive industry has seen a lot of growing trends in recent years. For starters, there has been much talk about self-driving cars. Not to mention, there has also been more interest towards compact SUVs over sedans. Such changes may make your typical car buyer happy. For Toyota and its Supra project, however, that tends to impose some significant limits.
Hence, Toyota cannot guarantee that another pure sports car like the Supra will ever be developed again.
As Tada had explained on the Toyota GB blog, “Looking at the current automotive industry, the talk is all about autonomous driving, electrification, and artificial intelligence. What that’s doing is giving rise to a lot of strict regulations, and that limits our capacity to make emotional sports cars; it’s getting much more difficult to do that. So for the fifth point, I think the new Supra will be the last present from Toyota to those who enjoy hearing the pleasing sound of a pure petrol engine at high revs.”
7 We've Heard: The car will boast more than 300 horsepower
As of the moment, Toyota is still being rather secretive about the actual power under the hood of the upcoming A90 Supra. Nonetheless, the currently available information seems to suggest that you can expect an output of at least 335 horsepower and possibly around 330 to 410 pound-feet of torque.
As Tada has told Top Speed, “I can’t disclose specific figures, but the output of this engine is on a par with that which we have with the F-Series from Lexus. But you can imagine from seeing it that the car is light and compact – its wheelbase is even shorter than the GT86’s. It’s around 200-300kg (440 lbs to 660 lbs) lighter than the F-Series.”
6 We've Heard: The new Supra will go from 0 to 60 in less than five seconds
Because the Supra is essentially Toyota’s ultimate racing car, you can expect that it is designed to drive at incredible speeds.
In fact, according to a report from Motor 1, it is possible that the upcoming A90 Supra would be able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.5 seconds.
This is more likely based on the assumption that the Supra will be using a 3-liter turbocharged inline six engine that is capable of churning out as much as 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. If that is the case, then achieving this 0 to 60 time is certainly going to be rather easy for the new Supra.
5 We've Heard: The Supra may also have a four-cylinder variant
Aside from making the upcoming Supra a showstopper, Toyota is also determined to make this sports car as accessible as possible. Hence, it is believed that the Japanese automaker will also offer a four-cylinder option for this car.
According to a report from Car Buzz, Toyota may utilize BMW’s 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder B48 engine to make this possible. While this variant won’t be able to crank out more than 300 horsepower, you will be glad to know that it can possibly produce as much as 260 horsepower.
That might not be as powerful as the higher variant that everyone is expecting. However, no one can deny that this four-cylinder engine can still make the Supra quite the exhilarating ride.
4 We've Heard: The Supra may have a hybrid variant
With the auto industry showing some degree of favorability towards developing and producing more hybrid and purely electric cars, it is quite possible for Toyota to also consider coming out with their own hybrid version of the Supra.
According to a report from Motor 1, there are rumors of the Toyota Gazoo Racing motorsport division eventually building a more powerful version of the Supra using a turbocharged hybrid powertrain.
Supporting this claim is a report that Toyota has also filed a patent application for a design of an electric supercharger. Since news of this came out, there has been some speculation that the said design is intended for the new Supra.
3 We've Heard: The interior will reportedly be “driver-focused”
At the moment, Toyota is being careful not to reveal too much information ahead of the grand reveal of the new A90 Supra next year. In fact, it has not said much about the design of the car inside and outside.
Nonetheless, this has not stopped car enthusiasts from making certain speculations about the Supra’s car interior.
According to one report from Car Magazine, you can expect the inside of the new Supra to be rather “heavily driver-focused.” Moreover, a report from Motor 1 also revealed that the Supra’s interior looks rather similar to the new Z4. “There's a similar digital instrument panel, and the center portion of the cabin appears nearly identical, including a rectangular infotainment screen, similarly shaped gearshift, and a dial for controlling the infotainment system,” the site had explained.
2 We've Heard: The car will cost around $63,500
If you are really determined to drive away with the upcoming A90 Supra, prepare to fork out a good chunk of cash. Rumor has it that the starting cost for this race car/sports car will be around $63,500.
If you think about it, this high price is to be expected considering that Toyota has already said that this car is going to be expensive. In fact, according to a report from Motor 1, “As far as pricing is concerned, Toyota’s representative told AutoRAI the Supra is not going to be a cheap car, adding there will be a clear difference between it and the more attainable 86. The latter, which kicks off at $26,255 in the United States, will remain the company’s affordable sports car. The Supra will be a true performance model that will be offered at a higher price tag to match its higher position in the hierarchy.”
1 We've Heard: The Supra will be produced in the same plant as the Z4
Because Toyota decided to develop the A90 Supra alongside BMW’s upcoming Z4 model, it is believed that the two vehicles will also be produced in the exact same facility. In fact, according to a report from The Drive, there is wide speculation that the new Supra will be manufactured in a production plant located in Graz, Austria which is owned by automotive manufacturer Magna Steyr.
At the moment, there is no way to confirm or dispel this rumor.
For starters, Magna Steyr is keeping mum about whether it will be producing the Supra. On the other hand, the company has already confirmed that it will begin production of the new BMW Z4 by the “end of 2018.”
Sources: toyota.com, topgear.com, motor1.com, thedrive.com