Toyota Supra

Toyota Supra at a glance

The Supra is Toyota's front-engined, rear-wheel-drive grand tourer: a 2+2 liftback for the first four generations and a two-seat coupé since 2019. In Japan the first two generations were sold as the Celica XX, while export markets called them Celica Supra. The name stood alone from February 1986, when the Celica switched to front-wheel drive and the Supra kept its own platform.

The first three generations were built at Toyota's Tahara plant in Aichi. The A80 came from Motomachi in Toyota City until April 1997 and then from Higashi Fuji, while the A90 was assembled alongside the BMW Z4 in Austria. Its place in the history of Toyota and the full Toyota catalogue are covered separately.

Toyota Supra generations

Power is given in PS for Japanese and European ratings and in hp only for US SAE figures.

First generation A40/A50 (1978–1981)

Dealer requests for a rival to the Datsun 280Z produced a Celica stretched by about 130 mm to fit a straight-six. The 2.8-litre 5M-E arrived in August 1980. Exports began in January 1979; about 63,900 were sold in North America.

Second generation A60 (1981–1986)

The A60 gained pop-up headlights and four-wheel independent suspension tuned with help from Lotus. North American cars used the 2.8-litre twin-cam 5M-GE, rising from 108 kW (145 hp) to 120 kW (161 hp) by 1985, while Japan had 2.0-litre twin-cam and turbo engines. Motor Trend named it Import Car of the Year.

Third generation A70 (1986–1993)

Now a model in its own right, the A70 had double-wishbone suspension at both ends and TEMS adjustable dampers. The 7M-GTE turbo produced up to 173 kW (235 PS) and 344 Nm, and from 1990 Japan's JZA70 used the 2.5-litre 1JZ-GTE with 206 kW (280 PS). About 500 Turbo A homologation cars were built in 1988 for Group A racing, and a TOM'S Supra won on its Japanese Touring Car Championship debut in 1987.

Fourth generation A80 (1993–2002)

The A80 shared its suspension and drivetrain with the Lexus SC. Its 2JZ-GTE used two turbochargers working in sequence, so boost arrived from about 1,800 rpm. Output depended on the market: 206 kW (280 PS) in Japan, 239 kW (320 hp) in the US and 243 kW (330 PS) in Europe, with a six-speed Getrag V160 manual or a four-speed automatic. North American sales ended in 1998 and Japanese production in August 2002; only 623 were sold new in the UK.

Fifth generation A90 GR Supra (2019–2026)

After the FT-1 concept in January 2014 and a racing concept at Geneva in March 2018, the GR Supra was revealed at the Detroit show in January 2019 and went on sale in May 2019. It shares its platform and engines with the G29 BMW Z4, and Magna Steyr built both cars in Graz. A six-speed manual joined the eight-speed automatic in 2023. Production ended in March 2026 after the 300-car A90 Final Edition for Europe and Japan.

Engines, transmissions and performance

The Supra engine story is mostly a story of straight-sixes: the M, 5M, 7M, 1JZ and 2JZ families from Toyota, then BMW's 3.0-litre turbo six in the A90. The 2JZ-GTE is the reason the A80 became a tuning favourite: its cast-iron block is widely used for builds running far more boost than the factory setting.

In the A90, European cars used two engines:

• 2.0-litre turbo four: 190 kW (258 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), eight-speed automatic, 0–100 km/h in 5.2 seconds.
• 3.0-litre turbo six: 250 kW (340 PS) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft), 0–100 km/h in 4.6 seconds with the manual or 4.3 seconds with the automatic.
• US-market six-cylinder cars were later uprated to 285 kW (382 hp).
• The A90 Final Edition reached about 320 kW (429 hp) and 570 Nm (420 lb-ft), with a manual gearbox only.

Top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). Toyota UK quotes WLTP figures of 8.8 L/100 km (32.0 mpg UK) and 198 g/km of CO2 for the 3.0 manual, and 7.3 L/100 km (38.7 mpg UK) and 167 g/km for the 2.0.

Dimensions and key specifications of the GR Supra

The table shows the European GR Supra 3.0 with the six-speed manual, as published by Toyota UK in April 2024.

Unlike the four earlier generations, which were 2+2 liftbacks, the A90 is a strict two-seater.

Safety ratings and equipment

Euro NCAP has not crash-tested the GR Supra, so no Supra generation holds a European star rating. Its platform twin, the BMW Z4, received five stars from Euro NCAP in 2019. In the UK, the Supra Safety+ pack added autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning with steering assist and road sign recognition; Pro versions also had a head-up display.

Reliability and common problems by generation

There is no large European reliability survey for the Supra, so known weak points come from owner experience reported by buying guides:

• A40 and A60: rust and scarce parts are the main issues; mechanical parts are generally durable.
• A70: the 7M-GTE is known for blown head gaskets, linked to incorrect factory torque settings, plus ageing suspension and electronics.
• A80: the engine is strong, but many cars have been heavily modified; check turbos, rust and how any upgrades were done.
• A90: data is still limited after seven years; some 2021 cars were reported to use oil, though this is not a common fault.

Toyota offered a five-year or 100,000-mile warranty on new UK cars, and the brand placed sixth of 30 manufacturers in the 2020 Driver Power owner survey.

Rivals: how the Toyota Supra compares

The Supra has always competed with Japanese sports coupés of the same era: the A70 and A80 against the Mazda RX-7, the Nissan 300ZX and Mitsubishi 3000GT, and the A80 against the Nissan Skyline GT-R and the more expensive mid-engined Honda NSX. The A90's closest rival is its own sibling, the BMW Z4, plus coupés such as the Porsche 718 Cayman.