Toyota Supra

Toyota Supra









































Toyota Supra



Toyota revived its sports car Supra in the summer of 1993 - more potent and far more costly than the 1986-92 generation. Sole body style was a 2-door hatchback coupe with 2+2 seating and a one-piece folding rear seatback. Toyota offered base and Turbo models. Both had dual airbags and all-disc antilock brakes. The Supra Turbo also got traction control and a limited-slip differential, in addition to a firmer sport-tuned suspension. Both models could be equipped with an optional Sport Roof - a removable aluminum panel over the front seats. Power was supplied by a 3.0-liter dual-cam inline 6-cylinder engine. Base Supras ran 220 horsepower, while twin turbochargers gave the Turbo 320 horses. Base cars came with a 5-speed manual transmission; Turbos, a 6-speed. A 4-speed automatic transmission was optional on either Supra model.
Value for the Money - Lofty performance and fine fit/finish make this toyota Supra a worthy, if costly, contender - provided that you don’t need to carry passengers out back.




Facelift Version (1996-2002)


Facelift-Models were only available in the US, Canada and Japan. From April ‘96 on sales were ment to be boosted by modificating various details. Supra’s headlights did get a black housing, the yellow indicators were replaced by clear ones (Image of the facelift front spoiler) and the tail lights got a anthracite-coloured bezel, which is also different from the pre-facelift version. A horizontal bar was added to the radiator opening in the front spoiler, the side indicators on the fenders of the J-Spec were replaced by side marker lights like on the US-Spec. The orange front side-markers of the J-Spec are different from those in the US-Spec, while the red rear-lights are being the same. The US-Spec type side-markers do have a flat, oval shape and are in a bright orange shade, the J-Spec type side-markers taper off in the frontal area with a small edge and are in a darker orange shade (compare image below).
The dashboard colour was changed to a light grey colour and the cloth seats got a new pattern and an integrated head-rest. The lineup of available exterior colours did change in 1996, too. The following colours weren’t available anymore. Colour Code US-Sales Name JAP-Sales Name
752 Baltic Blue Metallic Deep Teal Metallic
1A1 Anthracite Metallic Darkbrownish Gray Mica-Metallic
The following colours were added to the lineup:
Colour Code US-Sales Name JAP-Sales Name
6P3 Deep Jewel Green Pearl Dark Green Mica-Metallic (05.95+)
6N0 Not available Grayish Green Mica-Metallic
8L5 Royal Saphire Pearl Blue Mica-Metallic

Japanese Specification

In terms of technic no changes were made. The 3-gauge cluster was replaced by one with two large and three small gauges (boost for turbo-models/voltmeter for N/A’s, fuel, oil temperature) (Gauge Cluster). The digital odometer was swapped for an analogue one. Exterior details were changed. As well the 17″-type as the 16″-type rims got new-style center-caps (Picture). The equipment grade “GZ” was dropped. Natural aspirated SZ-R Supras got the turbo-version’s 6-Speed Getrag manual transmission instead of the 5-speed gearbox, as well as Recaro sportseats (also availabe with leather upholstery) as extra equipment. RZ’s got them as standard equipment. Dual airbags became standard equipment in all equipment grades eventually.

Another revision happened in August 1997: The cloth seats got once again a new, upbeat pattern and the 4-spoke airbag steering wheel got replaced by a 3-spoke one with carbon applications in RZ and SZ-R equipment grades. Both grades got REAS-shock absorbers as standard equipment as standard (Relative Active Absorber System), which minimizes vehicle roll in corners.
A very interesting modification is the introduction of the “ECT-iE” called Tiptronic-Gearbox in RZ-S Supras. The known 4-speed converter automatic gearbox was adapted with buttons on the steering wheel for manual shifting. Along with the model-change of the Toyota Aristo Vertex the turbo-engine got equipped with variable valve timing VVT-i (Variable Valve-Timing with Intelligence), as well as OBD2-diagnostics and drive-by wire throttle control (ETCS-i). The addition of VVT-i allows higher reving and results in a torque peak of 450Nm (441Nm without VVT-i) at 3600rpm instead of 4800rpm. The natural aspirated 2JZ-GE engine didn’t change.
Exterior colours got overhauled once again. “Silver-Metallic Graphite” (1B9) and “Super Bright Yellow” (576) were added to the colour range, “Dark Green Mica-Metallic” (6P3) and “Silver Metallic” (199) were dropped. In August 1999 Toyota adapted the Supra’s chassis to the new Japanese crash-standard “GOA”. These vehicles can be identified by their modelcode “GF-JZA80″ instead of “E-JZA80″. The targa roof, which was lastly only available in SZ-Models in combination with 4-speed automatic gearbox got dropped completely in the same year.
The last change happened in 2001: “Super Red IV” (3L2) was replaced by “Super Red V” (3P0) as an exterior colour.
Supra’s production ceased in July 2002, with special watches being hand over to the last few buyers.

Overview Japanese Equipment Grades (1996-2002)

# Turbo (with VVT-i 08/1997+) RZ: traction control, limited slip differential, large brakes with 17″-type wheels, 6-speed manual gearbox, REAS, Recaro sportseats (with optional leather upholstery)
# RZ-S: traction control, limited slip differential, small brakes with 16″type wheels, 6-speed manual gearbox or 4-speed Tiptronic (end of 1997+)

Non-Turbo
# SZ: small brakes with 16″type wheels, 5-speed manual gearbox oder or 4-speed automatic gearbox, targa roof optional (only in combination with 4-speed automatic gearbox, until 1999)
# SZ-R: 6-speed manual gearbox, limited slip differential, REAS, small brakes with 16″type wheels, Recaro sportseats optional

North-American Specification

In the US and Canada the facelifted version has been introduced with a delay of one year beginning with model-year ‘97. MY ‘97 Supras were marketed as a “25th Anniversary Edition”. It was simply a marketing trick for boosting up sales and not an anniversary of any kind. Turbo-equipped versions (6-Speed reintroduced) were only sold in states without California emissions. They weren’t available as hardtops anymore.
Exterior-wise only the Non-Turbo versions got the new center-cap design while Turbo-Models kept the old style but high-gloss polished wheels as standard. Unlike the Japanese version the three-gauge cluster and the digital odometer remained the same as before.
The US-Spec’s last model-year (’98) features similiar modifications to those of the Japanese version after the revision in ‘97. The three-spoke steering wheel and the new design for the cloth-seats were introduced as well as new exterior colours: “Quicksilver FX” (1B9) and “Imperial Jade Mica” (6Q7, as an replacement for 6P3) were added, “Alpine Silver Metallic” (199) was dropped. The 2JZ-GTE turbocharged engine remained the same, while the 2JZ-GE natural aspirated engine got equipped with variable valve timing VVT-i like in the Lexus IS300. This modification resulted in a maximum power output of 225hp instead of 220hp (SAE). It was exactly the other way around as in Japan, where the 2JZ-GTE got equipped with VVT-i while the 2JZ-GE stayed conventional. Non-Turbos were only available together with 4-Speed automatic transmission in the last model-year. Decreasing sales resulted in a sales cease in 1998 (Canada: 1997), which marked the end of the production of LHD export-vehicles.