Toyota’s Semi-Average Sports Car for Six Years Over the last decade, manufacturers have reinvented previous icons from their past and given them new life. In 2016, Honda brought back the NSX supercar and in 2018, Alpine reinvented the A110. However, perhaps the most notorious was Toyota’s reinvention of the Supra after a 17-year hiatus. Normally when Toyota builds a bespoke sports car, they get the best in the business to create a bespoke passion project no-nonsense road racer, very much like they did with the GR Yaris. Except with the Supra, Toyota decided to save costs and collaborate with BMW. What resulted was not a bespoke product by Toyota but a BMW Z4 coupe. It had a BMW gearbox, a BMW chassis, a BMW interior, a BMW i-drive system and a slew of BMW engines (both a 2.0l four-cylinder and 3.0l turbo straight six). The only un-BMW feature was the bespoke body and the 10-year warranty. Of course, many great cars share parts with others. The Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan are essentially twins, and much of the Aston Martin Vantage is borrowed from Mercedes’ AMG GT. However, manufacturers go to lengths to ensure each model is different from the other. Not the case with these two. The only separating them is the fact in a Z4 you can remove the roof. The result was a rather underwhelming sports car, one that was dull and rather tedious. Lacking the poise of a Porsche Cayman, the brutishness of a Ford Mustang and the delicacy of an A110. Not to mention if all you wanted was a baseline BMW sports car, you’d be better off with an M2. Nevertheless, the Z4pra soldiered on for the following five years, but after 6 years of being an underwhelming fraud, Toyota—sorry, BMW—have decided to pull the plug. And as a final farewell, they’ve decided to build two final edition Supras as a send-off. Lightweight EVO: Nothing Special The first new variant is called GR Supra Lightweight EVO. This car uses the same 3.0l turbo straight six as the regular GR Supra (and a Z4). That’s the same 382 horsepower, the same 155 mph top speed and like before power drives the rear wheels through an 8-speed ZF or a 6-speed manual. However, the car is constructed of lightweight materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium. The interior has a minimalist finish and slightly lighter seats. The suspension features revised tuning, underbody stiffening, and upgraded Brembo brakes with high-friction pads while the active differential and camber adjustments contribute to sharper handling. There’s also a subtle rear spoiler to enhance aerodynamics. In addition, the EVO is fitted with wider Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres like one would find on Porsche’s finest GT cars. There’s no denying this car is clearly built for the driver, but whether it is the ultimate driver’s Toyota, sorry BMW is yet to be seen. A90 Final Edition: The Car the Z4pra Should’ve Always Been The Supra that actually serves as a real finale is the rather outlandish GR Supra A90 Final Edition. Only 300 of these cars will ever be built, which is a shame, because, unlike previous Supras, this one seems to capture the magic of Toyota’s crazed sportscars of the past. For starters, the whole design of the car is clearly inspired by both Motorsport and the Fast and Furious films. There’s a carbon fibre splitter and vented bonnet up front and a swan neck rear wing at the back. These components not only improve downforce and reduce drag but give this car the aggression and stance the standard model lacks. But the Final Edition is not just all show and no go. Its suspension system features revised camber angles, reinforced body braces, and the same aluminium rear subframe mount as the GT4 Supra Race car. Inside the cabin features RECARO Bucket Podium CF bucket seats with red Alcantara accents, red seat belts, and carbon fibre scuff plates. Under the bonnet, the 3.0l turbo straight six has been revitalised with a new air intake, a low-back-pressure catalytic converter, optimised ECU mapping, an upgraded oil pan baffle, and an enhanced cooling system. The result is 435 horsepower and 420 lb ft of torque. That means 0-62mph in under 4 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph. The Final Edition Worth It, The Lightweight EVO Not The Toyota Z4pra has always been a rather underwhelming car since its launch. It’s a far cry from Toyota’s greats like the Corolla AE86, Celica GT4 and GR Yaris. It’s BMW’s average made even more average. The Lightweight EVO is just the regular car with slight tweaks to the aero and body. It is definitely like the standard car a disappointment. The A90 Final Edition though looks to be the car the Supra should’ve always been. It captures that crazed style of the old Supra, its interior screams specialised race car and the whole car feels like a passion project no-nonsense road racer rather than a lazy collaboration. Hopefully, fingers crossed, it’ll send Toyota’s underwhelming Z4pra off on a high note.Source: Toyota Europe Newsroom
