Toyota GR Supra (3BA-DB82/22/42)

From the Celica XX to the last JZA80 Supra made from 1993 to 2002, the Toyota Supra has been one of the most dominant Japanese sports cars in history and after 17 years of disappearance, the Toyota Supra has finally returned with a world-class performance that sets the standards to the world's best sports cars. Now that it's finally arrived in the early days of the Reiwa era, it's time to have a roast on what's known as the first Reiwa era Toyota available now.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

2020 Toyota GR Supra

The revived Toyota sportscar, now called GR Supra, is made in collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing and BMW and the reason for this newly found collaboration is because this 4,900,000 Yen (2.35 million PhP) sportscar features the same components as the latest BMW Z4 G29 and they're both built at the Magna Steyr plant in Austria. Born in Austria, honed at Germany, sold in Japan and the rest of the world, it truly is a multilingual sportscar that caters the world's best roads in a snap but is it really worth the wait for Toyota enthusiasts worldwide?

Observing the design, the GR Supra draws inspiration from the FT-1 Concept and while this is very striking to look at, the lack of a massive rear wing like the one from the old JZA80 Supra is a bit of a letdown for hardcore Supra enthusiasts, therefore it's not fit to be in the next Fast and Furious movie and never will be because with Paul Walker gone, the JDM appearances in the franchise became scarce. Still, while this is a love-or-hate affair, the GR Supra is a very handsome head-turner that needs no introduction when it zooms by.

2020 Toyota GR Supra interior

2020 Toyota GR Supra interior

It's true that while they share the same mechanical bits, the GR Supra and the new BMW Z4 are different by their looks and the same thing goes to the interior, which is driver-focused indeed and rather clean to look at but a word of advice though that since this is a BMW underneath, the sat-nav is basically BMW's so there's no telling why a piece of German quirk has implanted into this Japanese quirk. Visibility issues? Well, while the front looks nice, the rear view is rather challenging to look probably because it has a standard rear view monitor that fums this habit, as they said.

2020 Toyota GR Supra

The GR Supra shares most of the engines from the BMW Z4, starting with the entry-level SZ variant with the 197PS 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine which is slightly less than the 86 but more fuel efficient compared to it because of its 13.1km/L combined fuel economy under WLTP standards. Not bad for a low-cost Supra that is heavier and more expensive than the Toyota 86. Also, the mid-range SZ-R's 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine has been pumped to around 258PS of power, making it a high-performance class car for the intermediate. And then, there's the range topping RZ with the 3.0L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine producing 340PS of power and 500Nm of torque. All of the engines are mated to an 8-speed Steptronic gearbox.

Little did you know that the RZ has a slightly quicker 0-100kph time than the BMW Z4 M40i?

Anyway, while we're done examining the BMW-derived engines, it's time to dig deeper to its performance and by comparison, the dynamics of the new Supra is slightly comparable to the BMW Z4 it was based on because the folks from Toyota wanted to behave differently so they fiddled with the double-joint spring strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension to make sure it doesn't feel like the BMW Z4 it was based on. Such difference, am I right? But still, with a rigid structure, low center of gravity, and perfect weight distribution, this really is as sharp as a Feather Blade, yet as delicate as calligraphy. Now this is very artistic for a world-class sportscar indeed and while it's not made to take on the Nissan GT-R and the Honda NSX, its shortness and lightness made this Eurasian quirk a step ahead of its game.

The GR Supra is made to be a premium grand tourer from the very start and it's surprisingly categorized as a Safety Support Car S Wide because of its standard active safety features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with steering assist, automatic high beam, and road sign assist, among many others.

At the start of the day, getting to know the GR Supra is as easy as pie as it sounds and feels but at the end of the day, some people might have high regrets about this revived Toyota Supra and no, it's not about the BMW connection or the styling that doesn't hark back to the last Supra from the 90's. No. I'm talking about the GR Supra being a Gran Turismo exclusive car.

Ever since Porsche freed itself from EA exclusivity, their freedom to navigate through various racing games came with a great loss and that loss comes from Toyota and since then, no other racing games opened their doors to every singe Toyota road car in history. That's where GT SPORT came in and through time, no other car game has more Toyotas than GT SPORT and with the GR Supra arrived at GT SPORT, a lot of people are questioning about Toyota becoming Gran Turismo exclusive. While this is only a possibility, I have high regrets that I might really going to hate the GR Supra for being Gran Turismo exclusive and if the GR Supra being Gran Turismo exclusive, the boys of Top Gear will surely set this on fire just like what happened on the new Alpine A110, the Hoonigan boys will not welcome it to their garage, the Gumball 3000 will not let the GR Supra be part of the entry list, and their next Fast and Furious film will not feature the GR Supra, all because of it being a Gran Turismo exclusive car.

Unless Toyota renounced their Gran Turismo exclusivity, it's best to have a diminished relationship with the GR Supra and stick on with its Z4 relative or more expensive and fast sportscars than this. For now, I might put the GR Supra to the list of cars I don't want to have because of being a Gran Turismo only car aside from the Lexus LC500. That's one story I don't want to explain but I had to now that the GR Supra's arrived while car enthusiasts are still reeling from the wounds caused by Toyota being left out from most racing games rather than Gran Turismo.

Toyota should deserve better to become open again so their new GR Supra will be free to roam around the world with confidence rather than being restricted to being a Gran Turismo only car and that is the bottom line.

Available colors: White Blue Metallic, Ice Gray Metallic, Prominence Red, Deep Blue Metallic, Silver Metallic, Black Metallic, Lightning Yellow, and Matte Storm Gray Metallic.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

GT SPORT - The early Heisei JDMs

Today marks the end of the Heisei era and what better way to pay tribute to this golden era than sampling the most iconic Japanese sportscars emerged from the early years of the Heisei era? Of course, since the Gran Turismo franchise is part of those that were born from the Heisei era, our little game of GT SPORT takes us to the heroes of Gran Turismo, the best Japanese sportscars emerged from the early years of the Heisei era.



The FD-spec RX-7, the original Honda NSX, the Impreza STi, the JZA80 Supra, the R34 Skyline GT-R, and any of the pizza-lamped Lancer Evos are known to be the best of the Japanese sportscars to emerge from the early years of the Heisei era and here in GT SPORT, they have what's greater or nearer as the drivers can get from those Heisei era JDM sportscars.

These Japanese sportscars emerged from the early Heisei years are known to be collectibles for speedo boys worldwide because these cars are notoriously known for its street cred and known to be tuned to wake the neighbors after hours. Whether they can let them roar through the Shutokou by nighttime or living the track life by day, these Japanese marvels are everywhere and whether you love them or hate them, Japan is home to those street machines like these and as a tribute, let's take them to the common battleground for testing cars before hitting Japanese roads; Tsukuba.



Ah, Tsukuba Circuit. If my memory serves me correctly, the Tsukuba Circuit is the favorite playground for the over-the-video motoring program known as Best MOTORing. Over the years, we seen professional drivers across Japan testing out the coolest and the weirdest on this very track they called home. Of course, Best MOTORing may be officially dead several years ago but here in GT SPORT, people can do their Best MOTORing homage on this very track while sampling most of the cars offered in-game, just to give them their first impressions.

With the best JDM cars from the early Heisei era stepped to their very own Holy Land of sampling and time attacking, they are ready for a revue they will remember forever.

It's showtime!



After their Tsukuba revue, here are the results...

Impreza 22B-STi Version '98: 1:07.522
NSX Type R '92: 1:10.581
RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02: 1:07.700
R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nur '02: 1:06.864
Lancer Evo.IV GSR '96: 1:08.481
Supra RZ '97: 1:07.330



So, there we are. The R34 Skyline GT-R, launched from 1999 to 2002 is without a shadow of a doubt, the best Japanese sports car to emerge from the early Heisei years and no matter the opinion, I placed my fate that this is the best Japanese sportscars to emerge from the early years of the Heisei era.

Next time, let's pit in the Japanese sportscars from the modern Heisei era.

GT SPORT: Supra is Back!

The Toyota Supra has been one of the most dominant Japanese sports cars in history ever since the A70 model replaced the Celica XX and carried on with the last Supra they ever made, the A80.



Following the Supra's discontinuation in 2002, Toyota enthusiasts from all over the world are flapping their gums about its worthy successor until the time has finally arrived to witness the return of the legendary nameplate that has been part of every speedo boys' hearts and minds for several years.



The Supra is back! The Sports of Toyota has returned for the new generation of car enthusiasts and you can drive it exclusively on Gran Turismo Sport!



The revived Sports of Toyota is called the GR Supra and it's made in collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing and BMW. Why the partnership? Because the new model shares the same components as BMW's newest sportscar as well as the engines with the top spec RZ variant carrying a 3.0L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine producing 340PS of power and 500Nm of torque while mated to an 8-speed Steptronic gearbox.



Despite the Bavarian connection, the Toyota GR Supra is a world-class sportscar that uses all of Toyota's motorsports know-how to deliver dynamics on par with the world's best sportscars. With its high structural rigidity, low centre of gravity, and near-perfect weight distribution, not to mention the specifically tuned suspension setup Toyota commissioned for this car, the GR Supra truly is a driver's car that will truly keep them hooked for longer.



Being one of the happiest people to experience the GR Supra on GT SPORT, it's hard to fathom why this game is a saving grace for Toyota road cars judging by the fact that today's racing games shutting their doors on Toyota road cars in the wake of Porsche's freedom of appearance but never mind about that because now that the new Supra's here on GT SPORT, the joy of experiencing the revived legend is finally on our hands and although a bit twitchy on the first try, I can really get hooked on the new Supra for as long as I like.

Letting the 3.0L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine roar, poke its tail like a blooded samurai, experiencing its relatively superior dynamics, these are the things I learned mostly from my first bite of the new GR Supra and between you and me, this really is as sharp as a Feather Blade, the one thing to confuse the millennials nowadays.

Speaking of which, it's time to learn if the GR Supra learned much from its predecessors, I went to Autopolis and summoned its predecessors to see how much the revived GR Supra has progressed despite being made by the Europeans.







The GR Supra is now pitted alongside the A70 and the A80 Supras at Autopolis for a quick history lesson and see if how much of a Supra has gained following its 17-year absence from the Toyota lineup, although I'm not happy about the arrangement. Roll the tape.



At the end of their run, it's time for the results...

A70 - 2:23.424
A80 - 2:17.142
A90 - 2:15.963

17 years of void and this is the endgame. The GR Supra is slightly better than the A80 Supra it succeeded and looks like Toyota's on the roll now for making great cars even better.



The GR Supra is a worthy comeback the world's waiting for after 17 years and serves as the last bastion for the fun-to-drive cars that will soon to become endangered species for the next generation of motoring because of technology-induced chaos.

For most enthusiasts who had their final say on sportscars, the GR Supra is the car above all sportscars because this is car they will value more than even the most expensive European sportscars ever made and even though its not as fast as the most expensive ones in the market today, the GR Supra is worthy of becoming the people's champion on its own.

Whether you like it or not, the GR Supra doesn't raise the bar for sportscars because It IS the bar and the only way to experience it on the virtual world is on GT SPORT. You'd should thank them for providing first access to this car before it hits showrooms later in the spring so enjoy driving the revived Supra anytime.

GT SPORT: Supra Comes Back!

The Toyota Supra is unmistakingly the king of Toyota sports cars since the Celica XX broke out in the late 70's and until the turn of the 21st century, the legend that carries within the Supra will never be forgotten. It's no wonder most of the speedo boys worshipped this car ever since just like how they did to the GT-R from Nissan.





At long last, after almost two decades of disappearance, news broke out that Toyota will finally revive the legendary Supra sportscar in partnership with BMW and at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, their planned revival presented us with this...



Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept.



So, the Supra comes back from the dead like a phoenix rising from the ashes. How did it get there from the FT-1 to the planned revival Toyota's working on? Of course, the Toyota FT-1 concept we saw years ago was just a stepping stone for Toyota to revive the legendary Supra sportscar for the next generation of drivers itching to drive something more powerful than the less powerful but accessible and popular 86. For them, some Toyota enthusiasts are ready to graduate from their 86 driving days to the next Supra, that's for sure.

Although this is made in collaboration with BMW because it will be based on the next Z4 roadster, the GR Supra is made by Toyota Gazoo Racing, one of Toyota's motorsports division that also produces GR-tuned versions of everyday vehicles, With the styling carried out from the FT-1 concept, the GR Supra Racing Concept features a lightweight high-strength carbon fiber materials and because this is a race ready version of the next Supra, most of the race car stuff including the large blister fenders and rear wing, among many others, are all here just to give fans what would the future Supra be when taken to the world's demanding race tracks like the Nurburgring, Le Mans, Suzuka, and so on.



Representing the past and the future for the grand revival of "the sports of Toyota", the GR Supra Racing Concept is all about progress that doesn't demand sacrifice and having showcased the upmost potential of the Supra revival project would be, let's take it somewhere to see how much of a Toyota this is and for that, I went to Suzuka.



The first time I get into the groove with the GR Supra Racing Concept, I find that its dynamics can be somewhat intimidating at first but the more I drive with this thing, the more I'm starting to admire the way this future Supra possess and having getting to know more about the Supra, I've devised a little demonstration.



I'm going to see if the GR Supra Racing Concept has changed a lot from the FT-1 Concept a few years ago and since the GR Supra's a Group 3 racer, the FT-1 concept I'm looking for is its Group 3 equivalent and there it is. With the prime specimens set, these future Supras are going for one quick lap round Suzuka to see which one is the alpha. Roll the tape.



After these future Supras taking a lap round Suzuka, here are the results;

GR Supra - 2:11.191
FT1 VGT Gr.3 - 2:12.375

Amazingly though, despite their behavioral differences when handling round corners, looks like this concept's evolved from the one that is wildly styled but civilized in handling into the exact opposite but almost a second quicker. That is a just win for the much evolved Supra concept in racing overalls but that was very impressive.



In today's times, as racing games evolved, looks like the need to feature Toyotas have decreased to almost never, meaning you will find little games that featured the best of Toyota. A game like GT SPORT has became a safe haven for Toyotas new and old and this GR Supra Racing Concept will soon start an uprising to ensure that all Toyotas will have their equal share.



By the time Toyota revived the Supra, those speedo boys who have ten reasons why they hate sportscars from Europe are getting what they've wished for because for them, there is no substitute for a Toyota. But in the meantime, let's take into consideration and give praise to the GR Supra Racing Concept on GT SPORT, a racing machine that signals the revival of "the sports of Toyota" and a catalyst for Toyota's uprising just to show the world what they're capable of. It may be a long and tough battle but such fanbase will give Toyota a much needed boost it truly needs and I wish them the best of luck in reviving the Supra.

GT SPORT: The Originals

When the first ever Gran Turismo game was launched in the PlayStation since late December 1997, the R33 Skyline GT-R and the JZA80 Supra are the cover cars of the first GT game and with these cars now playable on GT SPORT, it's time to savor the moment with the original GT heroes.




Here they are. They were the cover cars of the original game and twenty years later, these originals still looking fresh in the prime of their lives. This is definitely the dream where all motoring dreams are made of thanks to these cars and the Gran Turismo series itself since the beginning.



Before having a blast with the originals, let's get to know the originals that became immortalized in the world of Gran Turismo through the years, beginning with the R33 GT-R. Penned by its advert as the "minus 21-second roman", the R33 GT-R lapped the legendary Nurburgring 21 seconds faster than its R32 predecessor. The hood is now made of aluminum along with the front fenders and the engine that powers it is the RB26DETT engine mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, delivering power through all four wheels via Nissan's ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system. This generation once participated the 1995 Le Mans and one of them finished in 10th place overall, fifth in class.



Hailed as "The Sports of Toyota", the A80-spec Toyota Supra was launched in 1993 and its unique styling makes it one of the most iconic sports cars ever to come out from Japan. This generation comes with two engine choices; a naturally aspirated and turbocharged version of the 3.0L 2JZ straight-six engine. The turbocharged variant produces 276HP of power but the ones used in the JGTC (now called SuperGT) produces between less than 400 to 500HP, although speedo boys love to tune the Supra to Fast and Furious levels. Toyota says that this Supra is the best handling in its class because of its double wishbone suspension setup. Despite being discontinued in 2002, it remains popular among speedo boys and if its good enough for Paul Walker, it's good enough for every speedo boy worldwide.

So, now that I got my word on these two cars, let's bring these "originals" to that one track that stirs a lot of nostalgia for speedo boys everywhere and I think I got one. Ladies and gentlemen, let's take a trip to Tsukuba Circuit.



Ah, Tsukuba Circuit. This track takes us all back because for speedo boys, this track was commonly used for comparison tests as demonstrated from those direct-to-video Best Motoring tapes and now that Tsukuba's back on GT SPORT, it's the ideal place to take these GT heroes for a spin.



During my sighting laps, I find myself nervous upon driving both of these 90's JDM legends round Tsukuba. The R33 has a tendency to understeer while the Supra is downright tricky to drive due to its rear-wheel drive nature, but the more I get to know these cars, the more I realize that it doesn't take a lot of effort to master these legends. With my sighting laps done, it's time to get scientific as I'm going to find out which one of the cover cars from the first GT game is still the hero of Gran Turismo. As a matter of face, there can be only one so let's get cracking. This is going to be the most interesting moments I have ever done in my GT life.



And now, I got the times...

R33 - 1:08.268
JZA80 - 1:09.129

It's unbelievable! The gap between them is almost a second and looks like Godzilla nicked The Fast and The Furious by almost a second. Consider that a close shave but I had a lot of fun driving these two JDM legends.



As the Gran Turismo franchise continues to evolve through the next two decades, it's impossible to forget the cars that stamped "the real driving simulator" in the first place and these cars have a strong place in the history of Gran Turismo now and forever. Looking at the cover art of the first Gran Turismo game and these two cars with your eyes, it's certain that why they are loved by many because they really are the originals that forged from our passion for cars and it's certain where we are now without them.

It's been an honor to drive the cover cars of the first GT game right here on GT SPORT and whether you are either regrettable or dignified, it's never too late to take a bite with these icons because these cars played a very important role in Gran Turismo history and that is the bottom line.

Forza Horizon 2: Meet the starters!

A few days ago, I finally picked my own copy on the XBOX One version of Forza Horizon 2 and I can't wait to see what it's like to enjoy the Southern European landscape by driving coast to coast with over two hundred of the world's scorching hot rides. As I began my Southern European journey on FH2, I have a choice of three starter cars to choose from, each with their own distinctive tastes and challenges await in each.

These are the starters:

 - 2011 BMW Z4 sDrive35is - The second-generation of BMW's open-top roadster offers a well-balanced breed of speed and mobility.



- 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe - This classic muscle car from Chevrolet offers straight-line performance.



- 1998 Toyota Supra - One of Japan's most iconic sportscars from that decade and one of the most iconic tuners of all time even post-discontinuation.



With three starters to choose from as they began their quest for fame at Southern Europe, it's very difficult to decide which is which but you know what, it's not quite difficult to decide because some would go for the Z4 because it's a well-balanced car, others for the Camaro because of its power, and some would want to go with the Supra because it's a popular tuner for many and they can spend their cash tweaking on its performance figures.

As for me, which of these three did I choose?



I chose the Z4 because, well don't get me wrong, but this car is well suited for this landscape and since I was starting with the Z4, I can't help but trying out this German roadster for a joyride.



Be it rain or shine, the Z4 never fails to impress me and since this is FH2, I want my car to be well suited for this occasion and for that, it's time for this car to get the Horizon makeover courtesy of extensive use of the game's design creator!



Voila! My Z4 is wearing its tradition Bimmer colors and notice those M-inspired stripes I made. It's done to give out the true BMW joy from within. I've even added some of my handmade Horizon Festival racing numbers on my car and I gave it an 89 because this is the E89 model.

After extensive makeovers, I sent my Z4 to take part in the first ever championship suitable for this car somewhere in the Castelletto area of Italy.

 

Having completed my first championship, looks like I'm now primed and ready for my Southern European journey on Forza Horizon 2.