The Japanese automaker currently has a lot of stuff on its mind, both on an international and regional level. But some regular folks and fans still cannot think of anything else but the legendary Supra!
While some people may believe that Toyota has not had spectacular news to showcase about itself during the first weeks of 2023, both the real world and virtual realities are a bit different, frankly. For starters, the company was not afraid to report the lower sales in the United States, which is always the first step towards delivery redemption – as they first acknowledged there is a problem.
Secondly, on an international level, there are some major management shakeups taking place at the top of the Toyota Motor Corporation headquarters located in Toyota City (formerly known as Koromo, Aichi prefecture, Japan), where Akio Toyoda will replace Takeshi Uchiyamada as Chairman of the Board of Directors and his CEO and president mandates will be taken over by Koji Sato. Now, back to the U.S., where the ongoing 2023 Chicago Auto Show is one that really does not have much to show for itself.
Luckily, it was saved by the VW Atlas and 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander introductions, among a few notorious other novelties (2024 Subaru Crosstrek, Wrangler Rubicon special editions, Ram’s baptism of the electric truck as Ram 1500 REV, etc.). Of course, the latter all-new, first-ever seven- or eight-seat three-row long-wheelbase crossover SUV took the headlines, and for good measure.
And yet, the diehard Toyota enthusiasts can only think about what could have been if their beloved Supra sports car was a bit more like the 1990s rather than the late 2010s! Of course, that is a recurring theme, and mostly because some of the fan bases still cannot cope with the fact that Toyota’s fifth-gen GR Supra is now a Magna Steyr-built, Austrian-produced sibling of the G29 BMW Z4 roadster even though everyone really needs to focus on the 2023 Nissan Z jeopardy more than anything else.
Photo: zukunplan / Instagram
Alas, you can never fight the imagination of people who grew up looking at posters on their bedroom walls sporting the late 1970s A40/50 original iteration (which was mostly a Toyota Celica liftback, frankly), the 1981-1985 A60 Celica Supra, or the A70 and A80 generational duo that finally severed all Celica ties and went on their sports car/grand tourer-style merry ways. Naturally, everyone has their favorite and most of the JDM aficionados only have eyes for the Mk4 – especially if it is of the 3.0-liter 2JZ-GTE twin-turbo inline-six variety. As always, beauty is only in the eye of the beholder, and anyone is entitled to their opinion.
So, it is (partially) understandable that we have a clash between those who remember and love the Mk4 from the old days and people who moved on and understood the GR Supra is a pretty darn good sports car, even if at times it feels a little too BMW-like, including as far as pricing is concerned. But truth be told, perhaps it’s better like this than what others have imagined. Consider this – would you rather have the current ICE-powered GR Supra or a dedicated 1990s Supra Mk4 heir that keeps the sleek lines of the predecessor and ‘only’ updates them for the 21st century… complete with a fully electric powertrain?!
Before you start running amok crying your undying outrage, the Toyota Supra E Concept we see here in the gallery or the social media post embedded below is nothing but a figment of imagination, so no 1990s Supra Mk4 Turbos were hurt in the making of this digital project. Instead, we are dealing with the spectacular retro-modern work of product design studio Zukun Plan (aka zukunplan on social media), which is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and had its dreamy imagination cross the continents to reach Toyota City in the blink of a Supra drift or burnout.
Unfortunately, “reimagining an icon” is not exactly going hand in hand with exact technical specifications, on this occasion. As such, the brief was simple yet utterly vague: “create a contemporary electric sports car that is fundamentally based on the visual charm of the iconic Supra Mk4. Of course, questions of performance rattle around in the minds of anyone. Being a styling exercise, it can be what you imagine: a nimble and powerful dual electric motor configuration, 0-60 in organ-crushing time, and range long enough that you will need to stop and catch your breath before recharging.”
There you go, that was totally informative, right? Luckily, the concept’s breathtaking styling compensates for all the missing numbers, as far as I am concerned!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News