The wait will soon be over to see the production version of the new Supra. Toyota has confirmed that their new sports car will debut at the 2019 Detroit auto show in January.
Toyota also confirmed that they will be auctioning off the first production Supra for charity. In confirming the auction, Toyota also established that production of the new Supra will begin in the first half of 2019.
We have a pretty good idea of what the latest Supra is going to look like. So far, Toyota has shown a camouflaged version that made exhibition runs at Goodwood, a racing prototype and even a NASCAR cup car variant. We’ve even driven a camouflaged prototype. Even so, it will be intriguing to finally get a look at the consumer version of the long-awaited coupe.
What we know
Details have been steadily trickling out about the new Supra, both from Toyota and plenty of other sources. Here’s a quick rundown of what is known about the A90 Supra:
- It’s rear-wheel drive
- Initial chassis development was done alongside the BMW Z4, which the Supra shares a platform with
- The engine will be a 3.0-liter straight-six with a twin-scroll turbocharger making more than 300 hp
- It will hit 60 in under five seconds
- The weight balance will be 50/50
- Adaptive variable dampers will be standard equipment, with normal and sport modes
- There is an electronically actuated active differential
- The standard tires are Michelin Pilot Super Sports measuring 255/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear
- Four-piston Brembo brakes are standard
Rumors and Rumblings
While it has been known for a while that the A90 Supra would come with an eight-speed automatic supplied by ZF, there has been some back and forth over the availability of a manual transmission. Back in September, Masayuki Kai, the assistant chief engineer for the Supra, confirmed that Toyota has developed a manual gearbox, but that Toyota had not yet decided if it would use it. Kai went on to say that the hardware for a three-pedal Supra was only ready for right-hand-drive models.
Another rumored but not confirmed detail is the presence of a four-cylinder engine. Multiple sources have indicated that a BMW-sourced turbocharged I4 will also be available in the A90, a first for the Supra line. Toyota has not officially confirmed the availability of that engine, but at Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada said told Road & Track earlier this year that there is definitely a four-pot Supra in the works.
We finally got our first drive in a prototype Supra about a month ago. Our initial impression was that the A90 is much sharper than its predecessors when hustled and reminded us of an oversize go-kart. Just like the rest of the world, we’re patiently waiting to get behind the wheel of the production version. Is it January yet?