Unless you're of a certain age the Supra name might not mean a great deal to you, as the Toyota sports car was discontinued 16 years ago now. But almost since the day it went out of production there's been a clamor among enthusiasts to see it brought back, and now it's here. Well, it's here as the GT Supra Racing concept from Toyota at the Geneva Motor Show, at least.
But before aficionados get too carried away at the thought of a new Supra landing in showrooms imminently, Toyota hasn't actually confirmed a production version is definitely on its way in the near future. However, speaking at the show, Toyota Motor Europe CEO Johan van Zyl admitted, "This car clearly signals our intention to bring back to the market one of our most legendary sport models. It's light, compact and fast." And although concepts don't always make it to the production line, the Japanese auto giant has admitted the car on display in Geneva "shows the future potential for a car that can deliver high performance both on road and track."
What might have surprised a few observers about the concept is that it doesn't have a hulking great V-8 or a cutting-edge hybrid powerplant under the hood. Instead, the GR Supra will once again utilize a turbocharged straight-six, and there isn't even a manual gearbox for those who like to be truly engaged with their car when driving. That said, hardcore Supra fans probably wouldn't accept anything other than a straight-six in the engine bay anyway.
This model has actually been developed in conjunction with BMW, and as the Bavarian automaker seems to be the senior partner in this particular venture, a new Z4 based on the same underpinnings is likely to come to market some way in advance of a new Supra.
Toyota has a pedigree when it comes to producing sports cars with other manufacturers, as the GT86 was a partnership with Subaru that also spawned the almost-identical BRZ. It's thought the Supra and the new Z4 will be considerably less alike in their styling as the GT86 and the BRZ are, and although the GR Supra will be appearing on racetracks later this year we'll have to wait and see to find out when we can expect a production version.
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