Toyota Supra HUGE TURBO!
The advent of the 21st century saw a renewed interest in extreme supercars. Bugatti pushed the envelope with its Veyron, but other manufacturers and tuners piled massive amounts of horsepower under the hoods of their cars, too.
This year’s new Toyota Supra, and its more powerful cousin, the turbo-equipped SC300, follow suit. Both are based on a modified version of the Lexus coupe’s platform, surgically shortened by 5.5 inches and fitted with special geometry and coil-over shocks.
1239HP Toyota
The engine in the Supra Turbo is a 3.0-liter, naturally aspirated inline-four clocked at 382 horsepower and mated to a Getrag six-speed transmission. Its cylinders are sequentially turbocharged, with the smaller turbo spitting out 2500 rpm and its big brother upping the ante at 4500 rpm.
When both turbos are on, the car roars up to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. That’s a bit quicker than our previous natty-looking test car, which required 11.2 seconds to hit the same pace.
Brake performance is excellent, too. The front rotors are 12.7 inches in diameter, while the rears are 12.8 inches, bigger than a Corvette ZR-1’s.
Interior Features
The new Supra’s seats are similar to those in a Porsche 911, but the narrow cushions and conservative bolsters are surprisingly good for a car costing more than $36,000. The black and tan cowskins, in particular, are naugahyde-like in texture and feel quite comfortable.
It takes more than a little courage to push the Supra beyond its warp-speed limits on an autobahn, but if you’re willing to do that, you’ll get a lot out of it. It’s a great way to see how much power is available in this car, and it looks like an intense driving experience.
