The most famous sportscar nameplate at Orange auto sales has to be the Toyota Supra. In fact, it’s beyond famous, it’s iconic and Toyota’s go-to sports car. The car deserves some recognition, so the fellows at Orange County auto sales particularly Toyota of Orange are going to take a look back to 40 years of the Toyota Supra!
The Toyota Supra first debuted in April 1978 as a new suffix designation for a longer, wider, and more powerful by-product of the second-generation Celica coupé. Also, Orange auto sales identified the Supra by its A40 chassis code.
The car was designed and developed in an attempt to compete in the popular grand tourer market in Japanese and North American markets.
The brand new A40 Celica Supra, which was called Celica XX in its domestic market, replaced the Celica’s four-cylinder engine range with a seamlessly smooth six-cylinder engine that provides a more extravagant trait. This is how the Toyota Supra’s history all started.
The Toyota Supra With Sharper Suit
Following the A40 Celica Supra at Orange auto sales was the introduction of the A60 Celica XX, which launched in Japan in July 1981. This car was based on the sharp-suited third-generation Celica platform and it focused more on sporting prowess. This model was sold under the name Celica Supra in all export markets.
Although it was similar to the regular Celica coupé from the B-pillar backward, the Supra’s trademark long wheelbase and stretched front-end also allowed Toyota to deck out its range-topping sports car with a straight-six powerplant, especially its new 2.8-liter 5M-GE flagship twin-cam engine.
Other recognizing marks of the second-generation Celica Supra consist of retractable headlights, a more aggressive flair to the wheel arches, and, very crucial for enthusiasts, independent rear suspension.
The Toyota Supra’s Early Sporting Success
Completely different from the first-generation Celica Supra, which greatest motorsport achievement was as a pace car in the 1979 US Grand Prix, the A60 basked in a jam-packed career on the track.
The Individuality Of The Toyota Supra
Toyota stopped producing the A60 Celica Supra in December 1985, which slightly overlapped with the new fourth-generation Celica that was launched in August. Going forward, the Celica and Supra veered in two different directions to become stand-alone models on different platforms.
The Celica made the momentous shift to front-wheel drive while the Supra carried on to refine the role of a rear-wheel-drive grand tourer in the ever-growing Toyota lineup.
The new A70, which very notably left out the XX designation from now on, was revealed in February 1986 with a brand new coupé body that was somewhat shorter than the outgoing Celica Supra.
Its chic and tasteful bodywork covered a chassis that also narrowed the gap between an unequivocal sports car and a comfortable cruiser. Every tire enjoyed the double-wishbone suspension. The upper arms were made from forged aluminum to lower the weight and the suspension links were attached to subframes to reduce vibrations entering the car’s cabin.
Overall, four straight-six engines ranging in capacity from 2.0 to 3.0 liter were available in the third-generation Supra, determined by the market. On the top of the range was the courageous 2954cc 7M-GTE turbocharged and intercooler twin-cam engine, sending 230bhp in the most efficient Japanese 3.0GT Turbo.
The Toyota Supra In The Late Eighties And Nineties
The Japanese car industry had a lot of success throughout the late Eighties and early Nineties. At this time, many of Toyota’s rivals were launching vehicles similar to the Supra.
Despite the competition, the expectation of the forthcoming launch of the A80 Supra was high but Toyota carried on manufacturing the third-generation until 1992 when it was certain it would launch a new car that would stand out from all the others.
However, until that occurred, domestic market Supras witness the 7M-GTE replaced by Toyota’s new flagship 2.5-liter twin-turbo engine. It materialized from the new JZ-series that would go on to become the iconic essence of the next-generation car.
The Shocking Surprise That The Supra is A Toyota
The most awaited fourth-generation (A80) Supra was finally showcased at the 1993 Chicago Motor Show after four years in development under the supervision of chief engineer Isao Tsuzuki, who had also worked on the first Celica and both generations of MR2.
Supra was a car that Toyota had never produced before. The A80’s. The measurements and flowing design were more similar to the 2000GT of the Sixties than its predecessor. It had a long, low bonnet line and high-rise optional rear spoiler which made it aerodynamic and clearly focused on delivering fast acceleration.
The A80 didn’t have much to it.in fact, Toyota’s motto at the time of developing the vehicle was ‘less is more’ which was apparent in its external dimensions that were shorter, lower, and wider than the previous car. The extensive use of lightweight materials allowed the engineers to lose 100kg of mass compared to its predecessor. Also, the carpet fibers were hollow to save weight.
Paired to a simplified engine line-up of either naturally aspirated or twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter JZ-series straight-six offering between 220bhp and 326bhp (the Japanese voluntary limit was 280bhp), top-spec turbo versions with Toyota’s first six-speed gearbox now provided supercar performance.
The Toyota Supra Returns
Toyota took its sweet time when it came to the fifth-generation Supra. For many, it was just a dream to see this legendary sportscar once again. But the dream turned into hop when the obviously Supra-inspired Toyota FT-1 concept was unveiled in January 2014. Then a second version of the front-engine, the rear-wheel-drive sports car was displayed eight months later, the most stand-out difference was the change in color from bright red to graphite grey.
Before the 2018 geneva international motor Show, Toyota released a shadowing teaser image. Along with the image was the accompanying text that let the world know that “a modern racing concept will signal Toyota’s commitment to bringing its most iconic sports car back to the market.”
Now, after 18 years after production of the Supra was brought to a halt, the new fifth-generation (A90) Toyota Supra is in full production once again!