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This concept shows the Toyota Supra’s motorsport potential

The Japanese automaker really wants to bring driving fun back

What a fun-looking track toy this racing concept is. PHOTO FROM TOYOTA

So the new-generation Toyota Supra is out. We know that. You know that. The whole world knows that. With an iconic automobile that owns such a legendary name, it is naturally expected that its manufacturer will milk its strong reputation for all it is worth. And this includes presenting the sports car as a legitimate racetrack weapon whose photos kids everywhere would want to hang on their bedroom walls.

This, right here, is the Toyota GR Supra GT4 concept, which has just been unveiled in time for the opening of the Geneva Motor Show.

This weighs even less than the regular Supra version. PHOTO FROM TOYOTA

The “GR” in the name, of course, stands for Gazoo Racing, which is basically the moniker of Toyota Motorsport GmbH, the Japanese automaker’s European division that takes care of the brand’s motor racing activities. “GT4,” meanwhile, refers to “one of the world’s fastest-growing motorsport categories, with national and regional competitions in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania.”

If that big wing fails to spook your rivals, nothing will. PHOTOS FROM TOYOTA

The GR Supra GT4 is powered by the same 3.0-liter straight-six gasoline engine found in the production version. There’s just a little change in terms of exterior dimensions: It measures 4,460mm long, 1,855mm wide and 1,250mm tall (compared with the standard car’s measurements of 4,380mm, 1,865mm and 1,290mm). And while no exact figure has been given, the press statement says that this concept race car is “even more lightweight than the commercial Supra.”

This cockpit should be far more exciting than a very realistic driving simulation video game. PHOTO FROM TOYOTA

Because the GR Supra GT4 concept is supposedly a racing machine, it is equipped with a roll cage, a race suspension setup, performance brakes, and a humongous rear wing. Let’s just say you won’t mistake this for a dorky ride meant for public-road use.

Make no mistake about it: Toyota is going to race the new Supra through the entirety of its life cycle. So be prepared to see other motorsport editions in various other liveries in the coming years. If this is what Toyota means by “make driving fun again,” then the company may have already succeeded.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist for 26 years. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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