Hardcore Toyota Supra GRMN On The Way, New MR2 And Celica A Possibility

Toyota says a more hardcore version of the new Supra is on its way, along with the possibility of a new MR2 and Celica...



Rejoice, sports car fans: not only is a new Toyota Supra just around the corner, Toyota has suggested it’s also working on a faster and harder-cored Supra that’ll join the range after launch.



Speaking to Motoring Research at this year’s Le Mans 24, Tetsuya Tada – the man behind the development of the GT86 and the new Supra – said the Japanese manufacturer is “preparing for” the release of a souped-up Supra.



Likely called the Toyota Supra GRMN in keeping with Toyota’s new Gazoo Racing brand and previous GRMN-badged cars like the critically-acclaimed Yaris GRMN, this version of the Supra will likely hone in even further on big power and big performance.





Supra GRMN, Plus Virtual Racing App





So far, little is known about the new Toyota Supra’s power output and specifications, but it’s been suggested that from launch the standard model will be powered by a 3.0-litre straight six that’s good for 335 horsepower and 500Nm of torque. Rumours suggest the Supra could hit 0-60mph in around 4.5 seconds.



Tada also insisted that despite the fact that the Supra will share a platform, engine and gearbox with the new BMW Z4, they’ll be very different cars with completely different chassis and engine software calibrations.



The Supra will be a “pure sports car”, Toyota says, with virtually no considerations to practicality or comfort. The voluptuous, bewinged styling of the GR Racing Supra Concept revealed at Geneva is here to stay, partly due to the demands of GTE racing regulations.





Return Of The Toyota MR2 And Celica?





From the sounds of it, the Supra will be designed to be race-ready straight out of the box, and Tada also revealed that Toyota is working on a new app that will allow owners to race virtual approximations of other drivers, similar to the ‘ghost cars’ popular in many racing video games.



“You could be driving your Supra on-track, but racing against a virtual Fernando Alonso in real-time,” he said.



In perhaps bigger news, Tada hinted that Toyota might also be considering reviving both the MR2 and the Celica nameplates in coming years.



Asked about the possibility, he said: “We’re committed to sports cars and Gazoo Racing means we have more resources for developing them. We’ll investigate what cars to introduce in-future, but this company set-up shows where we want to go.”



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