- toyota is celebrating the 40th anniversary of toyota racing development (trd) by bringing nine modified 2020 gr supra cars to the sema show in las vegas.
- the cars displayed range from stock to heavily modified, with a variety of radical suspensions, body kits, and over 500 horsepower.
- our favorite is the heritage edition, a fifth-gen supra that looks just like an evolution of the 1990s-era fourth-gen model.
everyone expected to see a gaggle of 2020 toyota gr supras at this year's sema show in las vegas, and tuned-up examples of the new turbocharged sports car, true to expectations, have taken over the trade-show floor. toyota's massive booth is home to nine it has created, and many others are scattered across the floor of the massive convention center. click through to the gallery to see them all, but here are our very favorites.
toyota gr supra heritage edition
the coolest of the pack is the gr supra heritage edition. according to marty schwerter of motorsports tech center, he was asked to create a fifth-generation gr supra that appears to be an evolution of the fourth generation of the sports car sold in the mid-1990s. he achieved just that with headlights and taillights modified to emulate the design of the older model, as well as adding its signature large rear spoiler.
"that's actually a spoiler from a mk 4 supra from the 1990s," he says. "we just modified it to fit this car. it's been narrowed a bit, but the height is about the same as it was."
all of this supra's vents have been modified to function; however, the car has not seen a wind tunnel. its metallic red paint is a special blend, and a modified factory turbo and downpipe have increased boost to 2.2 bar, up from 2.0 bar. toyota says the car makes 503 horsepower at the crank. other mods include a massive set of brembo brakes, a carbon-fiber front splitter, an aluminum rear diffuser, 19-inch hre wheels, and a three-inch-lower suspension.
to fit the 11-inch-wide rear wheels and 305-mm rear tires, schwerter's team went with a cantilever coil-over rear suspension mounted in the trunk, which he says also eliminates two inches of unnecessary suspension travel. "those front tires are 295s. this car has eight inches more tire contact patch than a stock supra," he told us. "and we plan on flogging the crap out of it."
gazoo racing toyota supra gt4
this gr supra gt4 made its debut at the geneva auto show in march, and it's also drawing attention at sema. developed by gazoo racing, this concept shows off what a supra prepared for the gt4 racing class could be with an fia-compliant cage, plastic side windows, a large wing and splitter, a gutted interior with a single seat and carbon door panels, suspension modifications, brembo racing brakes, and 18-inch oz racing wheels. toyota announced today that it's starting sales for customer-racers in europe in march, expanding to north america in august. asia, including japan, gets the supra gt4 last, 11 months from now.
toyota supra 3000gt concept
under the direction of heru adi nugroho, toyota created the supra 3000gt concept (also shown at top) with inspiration from the iconic 1994 trd 3000gt supra, which was only sold in japan. its brushed silver wrap has a delorean vibe, but its large rear spoiler, and the triangular vents cut into its stock hood riff off the old jdm model perfectly, as do its gold accents and black roof. the supra 3000gt concept also wears large wheel-well flares, which make it two inches wider, and it sits just a half-inch lower on wider tws forged 19-inch wheels. nugroho also added brembo brakes, an hks exhaust system, and bride seats.
toyota supra wasabi concept
in just six months, toyota’s genuine accessory team created the wasabi concept supra under the direction of jimmy chandra. "all the parts were designed in house," he says. "even the forged aluminum wheels. we think it strikes the perfect balance between track and street." its bright-green wrap with white stripes and accents is striking, and the wasabi is the only one of these supras to have its large fake side vents molded into its doors for a cleaner look. the only engine mode is a four-inch catback exhaust system with a set of spectacular f35 fighter-jet-inspired tailpipes. it sits two inches lower on ohlins coil-overs, is fitted with enormous brembo brakes with white calipers, and has body mods from five axis and wheel center caps that feature the original toyota emblem. cool touch.
toyota supra performance line concept
the mildest supra of the bunch is called the performance line concept. it was developed by the toyota customizing & development (tcd) department and wears a carbon-fiber body kit that toyota already sells in japan. the kit replaces the faux vents in the sports car's doors with a blade of carbon trim and adds carbon to the supra's rockers and fascias. this one also has an hks exhaust system and 19-inch forged aluminum wheels. its engine and suspension are stock. toyota says this supra delivers both in form and function and is enhanced for the "everyday supra customer." we say there's nothing "everyday" about the supra or its customers.