An Icon Returns

The resemblance with Toyota’s sports car heritage is more than skin-deep.

The new Toyota Supra has been conceived as a sports car in its purest form and the fifth generation is the first global GR model from Toyota Gazoo Racing. The new Supra has been designed without compromise and driving enthusiasts getting behind the wheel of this iconic nameplate for the first time can expect an exhilarating blend of power, agility and precision handling.

Toyota Gazoo Racing was instrumental in honing the new sports car’s performance, working extensively on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife and surrounding roads in Germany to achieve the most agile, stable and rewarding handling possible. Further extensive testing was carried out on roads around the world, thereby ensuring that Supra is equally capable on South Africa’s diverse road network.

Before production could begin, Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada insisted on visiting enthusiasts’ clubs around the world to talk to owners of previous models. He asked them what they thought the minimum requirements should be and the response was always “a straight-six turbo and front-engine/rear-wheel drive configuration”. “It was pretty clear and I had more or less anticipated this. The key point was to keep that combination intact”.

Tetsuya Tada carries on, “Being asked to make a sports car that offers the ultimate, pure driving pleasure felt like a mandate from heaven. The Toyota GT86 helped broaden the scope and appeal of Toyota’s sports cars. Next, I needed to deliver a car that offers a seemingly limitless sense of control, a car that will meet expectations and delight even hardcore fans.”