Watch the New Toyota Supra Run the Goodwood Hill Climb
We’ve only been waiting a decade to hear what the new Supra sounds like.
At the kickoff of the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Thursday, Toyota sent a Supra prototype wearing negligee for camouflage up the hill, revealing for the first time how the returning model sounds.
During the car's run, a V6-like exhaust note is emitted, and the commentators speculate performance specifications including a horsepower output of approximately 340 and a curb weight of 1,500 kilograms (3,307 pounds). The Drive contacted Toyota U.K. for official comment on the accuracy of these figures, and though the company declined to comment on the speculated specs, it reaffirms that the Supra will, in fact, use an inline-six engine, not a V6 as was previously rumored, or suggested by the car's exhaust note.
Toyota's social media also confirmed that the prototype seen is indeed representative of the production car.
The new A90 generation of the Supra is confirmed to be a two-seater (no child-sized rear seats), have 50/50 weight distribution, a low center of gravity like the brand's 86 model, and a responsiveness to modification. It will reportedly go into production in Q4 of 2018 at Magna Steyr alongside its BMW Z4 platform-mate before its expected ETA on the market in the first half of 2019, according to Toyota U.K.
Despite sharing a platform with the Z4, the two cars are said to drive differently, with the Supra scrapping its grand touring roots in favor of being a "pure sports car," wherein "practicality and comfort were almost not considered." The lack of a rear seat supports this description, though the Z4's lack of need for such may have taken the decision from Toyota's hands.