Final version of Toyota’s sports coupé gets Porsche 911 levels of power and a heavy chassis makeover
The Toyota GR Supra is retiring after six years with a track-honed, 429bhp special edition with a heavily revamped chassis, aggressive new styling cues and a race-inspired cockpit.
The A90-generation Supra was launched in early 2019 as the fifth iteration of Toyota‘s flagship sports coupé, sharing its underpinnings and powertrain with the BMW Z4 roadster, alongside which it is built by Magna Steyr in Austria.
The Supra’s revival after two decades was a passion project of petrolhead Toyota chairman Akio Toyota, who said: “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.”
It has been offered in its current generation with a choice of 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 3.0-litre six-pot BMW engines, both with either a manual or automatic gearbox.
It’s now no longer available to order in the UK, leaving the GR Yaris hot hatch as Toyota’s sole performance offering, now that the GR86 sports car has also sold out.
The run-out A90 Final Edition, limited to just 300 units globally, is based on the range-topping 3.0-litre car but with power output boosted to a whopping 429bhp – more than a Porsche 911 Carrera – and torque to 420lb ft.
Toyota has not revealed what those increases have done for performance, but the uptick should be enough to take the 0-62mph time down below 4.0sec to make it one of Toyota’s fastest road cars yet.
The extra power has been liberated by revisions to the airfllow system, a new low-back-pressure exhaust catalyst and ECU mapping tweaks.
Further mechanical modifications include a new baffle plate in the oil pan to stop oil starvation in track use, added cooling measures and an Akrapovič backbox for a “powerful engine sound”.
Meanwhile, uprated brake pads clamp new drilled discs, while the Supra GT4 track car donates its adjustable KW dampers and strengthened rear subframe “to improve limit-pushing performance” in the corners.
The power steering has been made more direct, too, and the camber axle has been changed front and rear to improve grip. That’s in addition to the fitment of new Michelin PS 2 tyres that are 10% wider than the standard items.
The Final Edition is marked out by a purposeful, track-flavoured styling overhaul that’s headlined by a chunky carbonfibre rear spoiler, wind-cheating canards and a sizeable cooling vent on the bonnet that signals the heavy power increase.
The cabin gets carbonfibre Recaro buckets trimmed in Alcantara – red on the driver’s side – as well as carbonfibre trim elements and red seatbelts to mark it out from the standard Supra.
Toyota hasn’t announced how many examples of the Final Edition will come to the UK, nor how much it will cost, but it will no doubt command a healthy premium over the outgoing standard car, which topped out in the high-£50,000s.
The standard 3.0-litre Supra, meanwhile, has been lightly tweaked for the final phase of production, gaining subtle styling tweaks and an optimised differential.
It’s due in various global markets from spring next year, but Toyota hasn’t clarified exactly where, nor for how long it will be available.
The firm said that although the Final Edition will be the final road-going iteration of the Supra, Toyota “will continue to hone the Supra through motorsports activities going forward”.
Source: Autocar
