New Supra breaks cover Toyota unleash new supra at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Tetsuya Tada drove the new Supra up the world-famous hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, on the car’s dynamic world debut. A racing version of the new car had previously been shown at the Geneva motor show, but this was the first time Supra fans across the world got to see the new car in action.
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It’s fitting that Tada-san was the first to drive the car. We’ve heard he was instrumental in negotiating with BMW to ensure that Toyota had real input into the cross-manufacturer project, rather than simply re-badging a BMW, which is apparently what BMW initially planned. He’s also the man behind the GT86/BRZ collaboration with Subaru, which is a good sign when you consider what a fun, well-balanced car that is to drive.
We brought you info on the rumours surrounding the new car’s powertrain last month, which are focused on an inline six-cylinder, three-litre turbocharged internal combustion engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic (not dual-clutch) gearbox. However, we won’t really know what will be under the bonnet of the Toyota A90 Supra until closer to its launch. One thing’s for sure, if the engine is anywhere near as tuneable as the old 2JZ-GTE engine, Toyota will be on to a winner.
Elsewhere, in a secret meeting somewhere in Sussex, Supra enthusiasts including members of the Toyota Supra Owners Club were treated to a very special gathering. Toyota assembled all five generations of the Supra together, for the first time ever, topped off with an appearance from Tetsuya Tada himself.
A Toyota spokesperson said: ‘The majority of the 84 owners and guests arrived in fourth-generation models, from highly sought-after UK-specification cars with manual gearboxes, to examples that illustrated the enduring popularity and immense tuning potential of the iconic 2JZ straight-six engine. Also in attendance were eight third-generation models in both original and facelifted guise, four angular second-generation models, and a single first-generation model – one of only two examples of the Celica Supra known to exist in the UK. ‘Tada-san drove the new A90 Supra into the building to rapturous applause from the enthusiasts. He positioned it on a rotating stand and then proudly introduced his “new baby” to the crowd as the culmination of six years of development. It was a moment that marked the first time that all five generations of Toyota Supra had ever appeared together in public.’
Tada-san mixed with owners during the course of the evening, answering questions and asking everyone what Supra means to them.
Commenting on the weekend, Tada-san said: ‘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.’ Toyota is aiming for the new Supra to reach the market during the first half of 2019. We’ve already started counting down the days!
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY…
ADRIAN SMITH, FENSPORT
‘I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO DRIVING THE ALL-NEW SUPRA! OF COURSE, IT’S A SHARED PLATFORM WITH BMW BUT THAT’S THE WAY MAJOR CAR MANUFACTURERS WORK THESE DAYS, I REALLY CAN’T SEE HOW THAT WILL DETRACT FROM IT BEING A GREAT CAR. FROM WHAT WE HAVE HEARD THERE WILL BE TWO ENGINES ON OFFER, BOTH TURBOCHARGED; A FOUR-CYLINDER VERSION PRODUCING AROUND 260BHP, OR A SIX-CYLINDER VERSION WITH 330BHP. THE TARGET WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION IS 50/50, AND IT MAY WELL BE THE FOUR-CYLINDER CAR THAT OFFERS BETTER HANDLING CAPABILITIES. NO DOUBT BOTH WILL BE GREAT FUN TO DRIVE, AND BEING TURBOCHARGED WILL BE EASY TO TUNE. SO WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GT86’S BIG BROTHER IN ACTION! JUST KEEP THE PRICE SENSIBLE, TOYOTA…’
LEE PERRYMAN, SRD TUNING
‘I WAS LUCKY TO GET INVITED TO A PRIVATE UNVEILING OF THE CAR FOR THE TOYOTA SUPRA OWNERS CLUB. I AM VERY EXCITED FOR THIS CAR TO COME OUT, AND LIKE WHAT I HAVE SEEN SO FAR. AT FIRST I WAS A BIT DISAPPOINTED HOW MUCH OF THE CAR IS BMW; PRETTY MUCH MOST OF IT, REALLY. BUT BMW DO MAKE SOME QUALITY SPORTS CARS, SO ON THE WHOLE I THINK IT COULD BE GREAT. IT WILL MOST LIKELY USE THE BMW M240I RUNNING GEAR, SO A TURBO’D INLINE SIX-CYLINDER ENGINE MATED TO AN EIGHTSPEED AUTO ‘BOX AND ACTIVE DIFF. THIS ENGINE WILL BE VERY STRONG AND TUNEABLE, SO WITH BOLT-ON PARTS COULD EASILY GET TO AROUND 500BHP. THE PATTERNED WRAP TOYOTA APPLIED TO THE CAR HID THE LOOKS SURPRISINGLY WELL, I’M KEEN TO SEE THE FINISHED ARTICLE. WE’LL BE TRYING HARD TO GET ONE OF OUR OWN AT SRD AS SOON AS IT’S RELEASED AND HAVE A PLAY WITH IT.’
