Now, the power the straight-six offered with the help of forced induction was in the neighborhood of Corvettes, Cosworths, and Fairladies, and the Supra was in the same conversations as all of them. In 1987, a turbo option was added to the Supra and the heavy-hitting doubled down. Selling something this plush, this upscale, and this heavy-hitting was unprecedented for Toyota in the era, and the new Supra was extremely ambitious as a result. The third-generation Supra was sold as an aspirational performance car in an era defined by aspirational performance cars years before Toyota developed Lexus. The Celica became a front-wheel-drive, economy-minded sports coupe, and the Supra became a completely distinct rear-wheel-drive luxury grand tourer, and the pinnacle of Toyota’s offerings. Then, with the launch of the third generation in 1986, the Supra name was split off into its own devoted model. (Back home in Japan, the Celica Supra was simply referred to as the Celica XX.)įrom left to right: MK4, MK3, and MK2 generation Supras.
For the Supra’s first two generations, it was, essentially, a very fancy option package and not a globally recognized name. Toyota would plop a larger, more aggressive inline-six into the traditionally inline-four Celica chassis, add luxurious features, and give it more aggressive styling. Up until 1985, the Supra name was simply the highest trim level available for the Toyota Celica, itself a reasonably upscale sports coupe. Third-Gen EvolutionĪlthough the fourth generation of the Supra line generally gets the most attention, its third generation was a true watershed moment for Toyota.
Quick take: The Turbo A Supra eschews attention but gets results for the chosen few who don’t overlook it.
MK3 TOYOTA SUPRA FONT MANUAL
Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged twin-cam inline-six | 5-speed manual | rear-wheel drive But this discreet nature doesn’t do the car a disservice rather, getting to pilot it feels like you’re being let in on a secret that only a select few who drive it-and, of course, those who see its taillights pulling away on the Wangan-will ever understand.ġ988 Toyota Supra Turbo A: By the Numbers Instead of searing teal or vibrant red, it only came in stealthy black, with wheels to match. There are no dashboard plaques crying out about its rarity. So a racing homologation Supra-already one of the most storied nameplates in automotive history-has to be beyond absurd, right?īut Toyota dodged all the era’s trends-even the ostentatious styling it would later embrace-with its 500-car run of the Turbo A Supra, a true homologation run meant for FIA Group A racing. At the top of this pecking order were the legendary homologation specials of the era purpose-built to collect trophies and glory for their manufacturers, road manners be damned. Turbochargers that whined louder than jet engines, side-exit exhausts dumped fire at bystanders, and color combinations that bordered on the offensive were virtually an industry standard.
The eighties were not a time for nuance in any regard, and the cars were of course no exception.
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