After a long hiatus Toyota’s flagship sports car is set to make its return in due course. The timeline to production reached a new milestone with the appearance of recent spy shots from the world famous Nürburgring.
Still heavily packed with camouflage, the Supra reveals little details so far. We do however get a good impression of the overall shape of the Japanese sports car and further hints such as the large air intakes at the front and shape of the taillights.
Especially at the rear BMW’s design input becomes apparent. BMW jumped on board to make this a jointly-developed project which will see a Bavarian product in the form of the new Z5 Roadster. The 2019 Toyota Supra is said to be the smaller of the two with shorter overhangs and a more sharply sloped roofline compared to the Z5.
Although well-camouflaged, we do detect a small fixed rear wing at the back of the Supra, as well as a dual exhaust system that is similar to that of the Toyota GT86. When it comes to the supply of power, it is all still speculation at this point. Some say the Supra may pack a turbocharged BMW-sourced six-cylinder petrol engine, while other rumors indicate the Supra will get an all-new hybrid turbo engine which is currently under development at Toyota.
One of the most questionable suggestions came from a Japanese Holiday Auto magazine, in which it was reported that the Supra will feature a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine supplied by BMW, combined with two electric motors at the front axle and another electric motor at the rear axle, good for a combined output of 354 horsepower.
Austrian OEM Magna Steyr, mostly famous for producing the iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class, will allegedly be in charge of production of both the Z5 and the Supra in Austria.
BMW will never produced a car with a TOYOTA engine. So Supra should carry its own heart. At least a twin turbo 3.5 capable to produce 450 hp. Let’s go TOYOTA !