Toyota’s GR Supra Heritage Edition ups the horsepower to where it ought to be from the start and gives it the history it deserves.
Supra is a big name in the automotive world. The whole reason why Toyota brought back the Supra was to cash in on the nostalgia factor of that amazing sports car that dominated the import-tuner scene of the ‘90s and early 2000s. Although the new Supra doesn’t seem to have captured quite the same attention as its older cousin, Toyota is still going to try and spark that magic at this year’s SEMA Show.
Enter the Supra Heritage Edition.
We have Ed Laukes, Toyota North America's group vice president, to thank for this car. He went to Toyota's Motorsports Technical Center and asked them to take the new Supra and make it a bit more like the older model, and also to give it a lot more horsepower because people seem to like that.
“I wanted to take the new one, reflect back on the last generation and bring some of those styling cues forward because people really appreciate them,” said Laukes in a statement.
The first step in the Heritage Edition is to bring back some of those iconic MkIV parts, starting with the lights. The three circles were part of what immediately identified a MkIV Supra, so the Heritage Edition has three circular LED lights in the front and back. Next was the rear wing, a giant arching edifice that made the Supra stand out.
Apparently, Toyota was able to take the MkIV's wing and fit it to the Heritage Edition without too much effort.
Next comes the rear diffuser which is said to totally change the Supra's aerodynamic profile. Between the diffuser fins is a twin-tip exhaust mounted right in the center.
Now the fun stuff. A custom exhaust with Titan Motorsports downpipes improves airflow along with the custom K&N air intake and a Precision Turbo-modified stock turbocharger. Airflow is improved 18% which boosts peak power to 500 horses.
Not to stop at just the engine, the Heritage Edition also brings in some suspension upgrades with new adjustable coilovers and onboard rocker arms from Scarbo Performance. Winder HRE wheels and Toyo Proxes R88R tires ensure that the Heritage Edition can put the power down when it needs to, while larger Brembo brakes allow it to stop on a dime.
Sadly, Toyota has no plans to make this a real production model, and you can only see the Heritage Edition as a concept at SEMA. That said, Toyota provided a nice video on just how they made the Heritage Edition, so you could always just buy one and build it yourself.