Iconic sports car from Japan shares bits with BMW’s latest Z4 but comes with a distinctively styled coupe body.
Is this the definite article?
Yes it is. After years (12 to be exact) of teasers in the form of concepts and racing cars, the new Toyota Supra has made its premiere in production-ready form at this week’s Detroit motor show.
Developed in conjunction with BMW’s latest Z4 roadster, the fifth-gen Supra (codenamed A90) is being differentiated with a distinctively styled coupe body.
But like the Bimmer, the rejuvenated Supra has only two seats to underscore its sporty intentions. The Supra’s interior has a different design from the Z4’s, although some details are shared like those operating various electronics.
BMW has taken the lead in the development of engines, right?
It’s not that Toyota will admit it outright, but that certainly is the case as building sports cars these days is quite tough when it comes to production numbers. Hence, the engines from BMW.
The Supra gets the front-engine/rear-drive format, 340hp 3.0-litre inline-six petrol-turbo, eight-speed torque-converter automatic and rear diff lock from the Z4 M40i.
The predecessors, with the most recent one being the A80-coded Supra of 2002, were all powered by straight-six engines.
While the Z4 M40i weighs 1,535kg and goes from 0-100kph in 4.6sec, the Supra has tallies of 1,520kg and 4.3sec. The 2,470mm wheelbase is the same in both sports cars.
For the first time, there’s a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-turbo to choose from for the Supra. Like in the Z4 versions, there are two outputs: 258hp and 197hp with 0-100kph times of 5.2sec and 6.5sec respectively.
When can I get one?
Sources at Toyota Motor Thailand say the Supra will definitely be available for grabs, although an exact date of introduction hasn’t be disclosed yet.
Because other world markets are said to be getting their quotas before mid-year, there’s a good chance that the Supra could be seen at March’s Bangkok motor show.
Expect the Supra to cost around four million baht going into contention with the Ford Mustang and Nissan’s aging 370Z, which has already been dropped from the Thai menu at some five million baht several years back.
There’s a good chance that the four-pot Supra could fall under the four million baht level. The last sports car Toyota offered in Thailand was the 86, co-developed with the Subaru BRZ.
The four-seat 86 came with 200hp 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine and was priced at around 2.5 to three million baht.
