Toyota Supra 1987 News

Video game Gran Turismo may have seeded a new Toyota Supra concept. And hopefully it will be presented in full scale metal like the Mercedes-Benz Vision Gran Turismo -- which was presented at LA motor show last month as the first of several concepts sparked by a challenge from the game creators.The Toyota version of the Vision Gran Turismo -- teased only in a single image so far -- shows profile proportions that would fit a Supra successor, and is bound to feed the fires of speculation around such a car, which is already rumoured to be scheduled for Detroit motor show in Janaury.Toyota and BMW are collaborating on a new platform intended for sports cars, and a new Supra would seem a logical fit.If so, it would pick up the enthusiasm for the Supra successor that was previewed in FT-HS concept form in 2007, but then dropped when the global financial crisis bit into economies around the world.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

Rumours are bubbling up again about a Toyota Supra successor to be unveiled as concept at Detroit, with US site Autoblog reporting they've heard from "a few very well-placed members of the Toyota team" that the concept will point to a production version. It's far from the first time we've heard about the Supra being raised from the grave, with the 2007 FT-HS concept looking a likely contender for the role at the time -- although any plans were sunk by the global financial crisis a year later. Still, even as recently as 2012, Toyota's local execs were expressing their belief that the FT-HS would seed a Supra successor. "(The FT-HS) definitely looks like a Supra replacement" Greg Gardner, product planning chief for Toyota Australia, told Carsguide in 2012. "And that's consistent with what we said four years ago. It's under study." Gardner said at the time that the development of any further sports cars would depend on reaction to the Toyota 86. And we all know how that went for them. He also indicated the FT-HS seeded car would sit above the 86, although there was no indication if the eventual production car plans included being powered by the 2007 concept's hybrid drivetrain. However, with the increasing move towards using hybrid power to add performance without weight and fuel penalties, it's likely a concept version at Detroit -- if more than just another rumour -- could carry a later development of the technology, wedding an electric motor to a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder (or even V6) tipped to push out a total of more than 300kW. This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott      

Talk of a new Toyota Supra dates back almost as far as when the last generation of the car, the MkIV Supra, bowed out of the market in the early part of the last decade. All manner of rumours pertaining to a new generation have emerged since then, including the adoption of hybrid technology, switching to a mid-engine layout, and the latest spin: sharing a platform with a new BMW sports car.  What hasn’t emerged in that time is official comment on a new Toyota Supra--until now. Speaking with Bloomberg, Toyota’s incoming chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, the man credited with fostering the original Toyota Prius, said the company’s new sports car being developed with BMW should be a mid-size vehicle comparable to the Supra. At the start of this year, Toyota and BMW reaffirmed plans for the joint development of a new sports car for their respective brands, which we’ve previously reported could eventuate into a new Supra for Toyota and a new Z4 for BMW--or possibly even a new 8-Series.  In his latest interview, Uchiyamada said Toyota must be careful not to launch a second sports car that would overlap its current GT 86/Scion FR-S. “That’s what I want but it’s not me who makes the decision,” Uchiyamada said, adding later that the decision would be up to the company’s engineers. Whatever the end result of the collaboration between Toyota and BMW, we're keen to see it. Fortunately, we may not have to wait long--a concept could arrive as early as this fall, at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. www.motorauthority.com  

Toyota is working to provide a triple challenge that mirrors its one time effort with the Celica, MR2 and Supra, but with proper sports car driving enjoyment. It has already delivered the first step with the 86, which is a leading contender for Car of the Year honours around the world,  by company chief Akio Toyoda wants more and 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada is hinting strongly about three cars. The Supra is likely to come next and Toyota has given a pointer with the design of its FT-HS - Future Toyota Hybrid Sports - coupe, currently on display at its flagship site on the Champs Elysees in Paris. It packs a V6 hybrid power train good for 350 kiloWatts and a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.0 seconds. "That definitely looks like a Supra replacement. And that's consistent with what we said four years ago. It's under study," Greg Gardner, product planning chief for Toyota Australia, tells Carsguide while standing alongside the FT-HS show car in Paris. He also confirms Tada's plan to head a three-model sports car development program. "The chief engineer has certainly expressed a wish to do that. It depends on the reaction to the 86." He says it would be logical for the 86 to take the slot once filled - in a very different way - by the Celica, leaving room either side. The FT-HS would run above, although without the overweight body and old-school six-cylinder engines of the Supra. "It sits in the middle. There is definitely room," Gardner says. "Supra filled a fantastic position until worldwide demand dried up. A smaller one would also be fantastic." While there is intense speculation about successors to the 86, Toyota Australia is ramping-up support for its $29,990 hero car. It has just confirmed a range of accessories for the car that is topped by a body kit - and over-done rear wing - from the factory. "The body kit was developed by Toyota. It was always going to be available to us, but it was a little delayed," he says. "It's only available on the high-grade model." There will also be suspension and brake improvements for the car, and interior cosmetic parts, but Gardner rules out any power-up equipment for the four-cylinder boxer engine developed by Subaru for the 86 and its BRZ twin. "The chief engineer definitely designed the car to be modified and he's keen to see that happen. But it's not really our core business to get into that, so we'll leave it to the aftermarket. "I know the mounting points are the same for our existing engine and an STI Subaru turbocharged engine. While we couldn't condone that from a  warranty point of view, it is possible."  

With energy recovery ststems due to be introduced into Formula 1 in 2009, it’s fitting that the first and only hybrid car to win an officially sanctioned motor race

With energy recovery systems due to be introduced into Formula 1 in 2009, it’s fitting that the first and only hybrid car to win an officially sanctioned motor race will make its world motor-show debut at this year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. The Toyota Supra HV-R hybrid won last year’s Tokachi 24-hour enduro in Japan, starting from pole position. Data gained by engineers during the race is being used to help make future hybrid systems lighter and more efficient. Toyota’s Peter Evans explained: “With the introduction of hybrids and energy recovery into motorsport, the direct benefit that motorsport has on the development of passenger-car technology has been reestablished. The Hybrid Supra HV-R is powered by a 350kW 4.5-litre petrol V8 working in tandem with a 150kW electric motor mounted on the rear axle as well as small electric motors in the front wheels. In race trim it weighs just 1080kg. It has a sophisticated energy regeneration system to recover the huge amount of energy available under heavy braking from high speeds. Instead of being fitted with rechargeable batteries usually found in hybrids, the Hybrid Supra HV-R uses a quick-charging capacitor system designed to cope with the high energy flow of the massive acceleration and braking during a long race.