Toyota got to where it is by being a serious carmaker, focused on engineering. But once in a while, the designers and engineers are allowed to strut their stuff with halo cars, like this new Supra.
Even though it's got lots of BMW parts, including the inline-6 turbo engine, people just can't get enough of the A90. And ever since it came out, they've been demanding everything from a manual model to more power and a roadster top.
Due to resource limitations, these things will take time to develop, so custom builders can swoop in and claim some of the glory. Under the user "a90spider" a team of Japanese builders has been quietly working on this roofless Supra.
As much of the metalwork is now complete, we thought it fit to share the project before its full reveal. As we've established in our previous post, this isn't a 2020 Supra that's been chopped or even a Z4 with a body swap. Instead, the project started out with an older Lexus, the SC430.
This was once deemed by Top Gear as one of the worst handling sports cars, but as fans have rediscovered it, Lexus even built a modern successor. We mention this because the rear recking of the Supra Spider looks a lot like that of the new Lexus LC500 Convertible.
Some parts come from the actual Supra, like the bumpers and doors. However, most of the skin is custom-made by hand, including the hood, trunk, and fenders. On top of this, the Japanese fabricators went wild with a Pandem Widebody kit and Lambo-style doors that open straight up. We can't imagine fitting those was easy.
And if being the only A90 Supra Spider in the world wasn't enough, this JDM special is also powered by the legendary 2JZ engine, replacing the old 4.3-liter Lexus V8 and tuned with GReddy parts until it made 600 horsepower.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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