2019 Toyota Supra What lies beneath… Racing Concept gives more than a taste of what the first Supra in 16 years will look like.
It’s not the final production version of Toyota’s long-awaited new Supra – it was the wing that gave it away, wasn’t it? – but the Gazoo Racing Supra Racing Concept is an incredibly close representation of the fifth-generation Supra scheduled for launch in 2019.
It shares much of its underpinning s with BMW’s new Z4, which debuts at the end of the year, but Toyota has taken the decision to spend a little longer honing its two-seater coupe after company boss Akio Toyoda felt it wasn’t focused enough. It was this decision that led to the car’s final development being handed over to the firm’s motorsport division – Gazoo Racing. The first new Supra for 16 years will also be badged a Gazoo Supra.
With the final development work now the responsibility of the team that has given us the brilliant Yaris GRMN, the new sub-1500k g Supra will be powered by a 335bhp, 332lb ft six-cylinder engine capable of a sub-4 second 0-60mph time. And while the Supra Racing Concept features all the trappings of motorsport (carbon and composite body panels, plastic side and rear windows and centre-lock alloy wheels), the production car will be constructed from more conventional materials such a s aluminium. While Gazoo may offer a small range of upgrades, it’s expected that Toyota will leave it to the aftermarket to provide the bulk of these.
The new Supra is one of a series of cars that will see Toyota return to offering a portfolio of sports and performance models. To follow will be an updated GT86, as well as the return of the MR2 roadster, expected to be a more compact rival to Mazda’s MX-5 and scheduled to be revealed in 2020.
