Will it be worthy of the name? It's been the hottest question since we heard that a new Toyota Supra , the GR Supra A90, was on its way, with BMW as a development partner.
Time to take the test at nine. We bring together the legend, the Supra A80, with the new GR Supra A90 — a unique opportunity to see the two generations, both with Portuguese license plates, side by side, to answer the initial question.
In this video, Diogo and Guilherme lead us to discover first what is behind the legend of the Toyota Supra A80 . A small leap into the 1990s, a decade that left us with some of Japan's greatest treasures in automotive form. Look out for the Supra A80's list of contemporaries: Honda NSX, Mitsubishi 3000 GTO, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT -R and 300ZX. A generation of gold.
The Supra would still stand out, if only for its stylistic exuberance — have you seen that rear wing, one of its hallmarks? Contrary to what its styling suggested, the Toyota Supra A80 and its 2+2 coupé bodywork was, in essence, a GT, more than a pure and tough sports car.
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Something that can be verified by Guilherme and Diogo while driving the A80. Richly equipped for the time — automatic air conditioning, cruise control, ABS, traction control, etc. — proves to be comfortable, ideal for long runs at high speeds.
The foundations are, however, solid and very well born — “the chassis doesn't look 30 years old”, as Guilherme refers. The suspension, with overlapping double wishbones (double wishbone), both at the front and at the rear, is one of the ingredients for the fluid handling that the Toyota Supra allows.
Where does the epithet of legend come from, then? Not so much of what the Supra was, but of the potential of what it could be, something immensely explored by a whole community of enthusiasts and preparers — which makes “our” Supra A80 tested to be a unicorn, as it's practically all original. …
The big culprit for this latent potential lies behind the seemingly random designation 2JZ-GTE . It is the in-line six-cylinder block that can be found under the Supra's bonnet, capable of delivering 330 hp (European specification). But it was not so much the power that debited that made it mythical, but the power that it was possible to extract from it. — 400, 500, 700 hp and more? A “children's game” — of course it's not that easy, obviously, but the block took it and more…
The Toyota Supra A80 thus had the right ingredients to create a more intimate connection with its followers — it was no longer just another car, but mine and only Supra, unlike any other. That's how the legend was born… Something explored on the movie screen by the first film in the Furious Speed saga “The Fast and the Furious”, which would elevate Supra's fame to the heights we know today.
A legacy whose successor would have to live up to… Did he succeed? Accompany Diogo and Guilherme in discovering the Supra A80 and how the GR Supra A90 compares. A video you won't want to miss.