The Toyota Supra

If you are reading this article, chances are you have heard the phrase, “Is that a Supra!?” The answer is no. Since the release of the Mark 5 (mk5) Toyota Supra in march of 2019, fans have been disappointed, but why? The mk5 Supra is a capable car. According to motortrend.com, ”The 2020 Toyota Supra has a 3.0-liter turbo I-6 with 335 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque.” The modern Supra can reach 60 in only 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph. You might be thinking that what I am describing sounds like a race car, and that is because it is. The Supra has been iconic in the tuner community, and this is not what they wanted.

What is a Supra, and why does it have such high standards? The story started in 1965. In Tokyo, Japan, Toyota, and Yamaha attempted to make a sports car. The final product was the 2000gt, a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seater sports car. The sports car was mass-produced and priced at $6,800, which is about $56,187.43 today. Due to the high price, Toyota did not sell very many and ended production in 1970. The car still has a large fanbase. A restored 1967 2000gt recently sold for $912,500, according to motorauthority.com.

In 1970 Toyota needed a comeback, so they released the Celica. A “cut-down version of Toyota supercar, the 2000GT, so it was a relatively affordable sports car”, according to topspeed.com. Over the years, the Celica has been many things for Toyota, a 2000gt, a mustang, a civic. The first generation was a poor attempt at a muscle car by Toyota. It was a compact square body. The second-generation a slightly bigger version with minor changes and a four-door configuration called the Camry Celica. The third generation had a bigger engine. The fourth-generation came with more power, a rounder body, four wheels independent front suspension, and pop up and down headlights. The fifth-generation had power, a sportier body style, and kept the pop-up headlights. The sixth-generation, arguably the most popular generation, got rid of the pop-up headlights and adopted a much smoother and sportier body style. 

You might be thinking, how do the first six generations of the Celica have anything to do with the Supra? The first two generations of the Supra were called the Celica Supra. Over the years, the Supra has followed very close behind the Silica. The Supra was a want to be Celica until its fourth generation. The mk4 took the world by storm when it got driven in the movie Fast and Furious. With popularity comes a fan base, and with a fan base come false information.

As the Supra gained popularity, the uneducated portion of its fan base began talking about how the mk4 Supra has 1000 horsepower stock. The more people had talked about 1000 hp, the more you would hear, “a Supra would beat that in a race.” The mk4 Supra makes 320 hp stock, so when car enthusiasts noticed the rumors of 1000hp, the jokes began, which is how the question, “Is that a Supra!?” was posed.