This could probably set some sort of world record for how long a carmaker teases its fans before the unveiling of a new car. Toyota was attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year with the star attraction being the world debut of a heavily camouflaged, prototype version of the all-new Supra.
The MkV Supra, or the A90 as they call it at this stage, was driven by chief engineer Tetsuya Tada up the hill climb. Tada-san is the same person who was behind the highly acclaimed Toyota GT86 and has the overall responsibility for the new Supra alongside Herwig Daenens. A successor to the extremely popular 1996 Supra which is the vehicle of choice for tuners and JDM fans, partly thanks to the car’s starring role in the first film of the Fast & Furious franchise, has been in demand for many years now.
The 2014 FT-1 design concept reignited the passion and demand for a new Supra — a front-engined, RWD sports coupe with just enough horsepower in stock setup to have a great driving experience on daily roads. Earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show they showcased a Gazoo Racing Concept which was later added to the Gran Turismo Sport racing game. Now at Goodwood, they have the road version development car in camouflage.
By now most Supra fans know that the new one is being built in collaboration with BMW who will use the same platform for their new Z4. The engine is from BMW too — a straight-six, which we expect will produce around 400bhp from factory. In fact, the new Supra will be built at a BMW factory but Toyota and Tada-san have insisted that it will be very different from the Z4 and will stick to its heritage. There is word however that a 4-cylinder variant may be offered as well.
Ask about the date of unveiling for the fully ready Supra and we’re told to wait till the first half of 2019. That’s a frustrating answer and as always I can only tell you what I tell myself: “Good things come to those who wait.”
Don’t forget to subscribe to The Auto Loons for all the updates to come and now you can watch the clip of the A90 making it’s way up the Goodwood hill climb:
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