Toyota Supra is hailed as one of the top sports coupes in the world by the Japanese auto manufacturer. That said, Supra has been among the iconic and famous sports car nameplates since its inception in 1978. Although the Toyota Supra was discontinued in 2002, the demand for this popular nameplate saw its revival in 2019.
Toyota Supra’s history spans five generations with the latest one launched in 2019 after a gap of decades. Let’s revisit the history of the Toyota Supra and how it developed a huge fan base over the years.
History of Toyota Supra
Between 1978 and 2002, four generations rolled out in Toyota Supra’s history and it was discontinued. However, the popularity and demand made Toyota revive Supra in 2019. Supra is among the iconic cars featured in movies and popular games.
‘Gran Turismo 1’ which was available on PlayStation 1 was the first game featuring Toyota Supra. Moreover, Paul Walker drove the modified Toyota Supra model making it one of the popular cars in Fast And Furious movies. Let’s go through the journey of Toyota Supra and the popularity of this sports car model.
FIRST-GENERATION TOYOTA SUPRA (1979-1981)
The first generation of the Toyota Supra was a more efficient and powerful addition to the Celica lineup. It debuted in 1979 and was identified by A40, its chassis design platform. Supra came out as a competition to other Japanese grand tourer models.
The Toyota Supra’s first generation model featured a six-cylinder engine. Besides, Supra’s wheelbase was 5.1 inches more than the Celica coupe to incorporate a larger engine. Moreover, the front design further distinguished the Supra from its predecessor, the Celica coupe.
Toyota Supra came equipped with a 2.6-litre inline six-cylinder engine producing 110 horsepower. Besides, two transmission options were available: 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission. At the end of this generation, Toyota replaced the 2.6-litre engine with an even larger 2.8-litre engine generating 116 hp.
SECOND-GENERATION TOYOTA SUPRA (1982-1986)
The second generation in the Toyota Supra history came with some distinguishing features. Some distinctive features included a longer wheelbase than the old Supra models, retractable headlights, an aggressive flare to the wheel arches, and an independent rear suspension. It was identified by the A60 chassis design platform and looked sleeker than the previous Toyota Supra generations.
Under the hood, Supra featured a twin-cam 2.8-litre engine producing 145 horsepower. Moreover, the sports coupe was still related to Celica. However, Toyota removed the Celica name from the third generation.
THIRD-GENERATION TOYOTA SUPRA (1986-1992)
The third generation of Toyota Supra rolled out as a 1986.5 Supra model. From this generation, Toyota Celica and Supra weren’t linked. The former came with a 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive whereas the latter continued its inline six-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive.
For the first time in Toyota Supra history, it boasted a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre engine generating 200 hp. The Toyota Supra featured a new coupe design with a shorter wheelbase. The A70 chassis design ensured that it was an outright sports car alongside a comfortable cruiser.
Moreover, the third generation featured four engines from 2.0 to 3.0-litre engines. That said, the top-of-the-line engine was a twin-cam 3.0-litre engine with a turbocharger. The engine produced a whopping 230 horsepower. It became the fastest Japanese car of that time with an uprated engine that produced 270 hp.
FOURTH-GENERATION TOYOTA SUPRA (1993-2002)
In 1993, the fourth generation of the Toyota Supra made its mark with a complete redesign. Unlike its predecessor, Toyota Supra’s fourth generation looked more like the Toyota 2000GT from the 1960s. Moreover, the long and low bonnet line and high-rise optional rear spoiler ensured that Supra was aerodynamically efficient to deliver high speed.
The engine lineup included a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre engine producing 220 hp and a turbocharged 3.0-litre engine boasting 320 hp. Furthermore, it was manufactured from lightweight materials and it lost more than 100 kg than its old models.
Toyota started producing Supra MK4 models in this generation. However, the Toyota Supra was discontinued in 2002. Toyota planned to resurrect the Supra nameplate once again in 2007 when it presented a concept car at the Detroit Auto Show. The concept car promised a lot with its 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 400 horsepower.
FIFTH-GENERATION TOYOTA SUPRA (2019- PRESENT)
After subsequent concept cars presented in different auto shows, Toyota unveiled the fifth generation in the history of Supra. The all-new A90 Supra made its mark at the Detroit Auto Show in 2019. It came with its legendary inline six-cylinder engine. It featured Munich’s turbocharged 3.0-litre engine paired with 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine produced a powerful performance which generated 335 hp. The fifth generation marked the rebirth of Supra after almost two decades with more powerful engines and modern specifications.
This wraps the complete Toyota Supra history which is one the most well-known sports car models among car enthusiasts. If you are a Supra fan, you can find new or preowned Toyota Supras in the UAE from showrooms or online. Besides, you can browse through a plethora of used cars in the UAE and find the vehicle that meets your needs.
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