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…The first global model of the GR series
Toyota on Monday revealed the new Supra to a global audience for the first time at the ongoing North America International Auto Show in Detroit. The new Supra is the first global model of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s GR sports car series. Ever since first competing in Germany’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 2007, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been aiming through its motorsports activities to develop its cars and people, with the goal of “making ever-better cars.”
The knowledge and know-how it has built up over the years have been funneled into bringing the Supra back to life in the form of the “GR Supra,” as a car that people the world over will find fun to drive.
Interestingly, the new car was revealed on a day TOYOTA GAZOO Racing also launched the “Supra is Back” edition of a global television commercial series to promote the new Supra. Appearing are top-class TOYOTA GAZOO Racing drivers, making a good match for the first global model of the GR series.
Excited at the world premiere of the new sports car, Toyota President, Akio Toyoda, who is also a master driver, said, “Back in the day, I spent countless hours driving an old Supra at Nurburgring to become a master driver. Supra is like an old friend that holds a special place in my heart. While other manufacturers were putting their beautiful new prototypes which they were going to introduce through the paces, I was driving an old Supra that was no longer in production.
“So, even though Toyota had no plans to make a new Supra, just like a lot of other die hard Supra fans around the world, I secretly wanted to make it happen. The new GR Supra was born through testing at Nurburgring, and I can honestly say that it is a car that is fun to drive and better than ever.”
The all-new fifth-generation Supra marks the end of a 17-year hiatus since the conclusion of production of the previous generation in 2002. Ever since the Supra’s inception in 1978, all generations have been front-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. The latest rendition is no exception. This time around, extensive attention has also been paid to the three fundamental elements of wheelbase, tread, and center of gravity, thus achieving handling performance befitting a pure sports car.
Also speaking on the new Supra, Chief Engineer, Tetsuya Tada, who headed development, said, “We set out to create a pure sports car that would attain the ultimate in the fun of driving. Rather than only working toward specs such as horsepower and circuit lap times, we emphasized sensitivity performance, such as the degree to which driving could be felt to be fun, with car and driver becoming one.”
