Hey Toyota, that in-house A100 Supra you're working on... can it please look like this?
If reports from Japan's Best Car magazine are on the money, the next chapter for the Toyota Supra will be written without any help from Munich.
For a year or so, we've heard rumours that the current A90 won't be the last Toyota Supra, and that the next one will be developed and powered entirely by the big T. Yep: Goodbye, BMW.
The downside, though, is that the big T's power plan will reportedly come from a much smaller mill, building it all around an exclusively four-cylinder configuration rather than the choice of four- and inline-six options we have in the A90.
The desire to continue the beloved old A80's inline-six legacy is largely how we ended up with the BMW partnership in the first place.
Mike Stevens
It's a shame Toyota can't at least look to Mazda's new 3.3 turbo I6, but not all engines are built with pure performance in mind and Mazda's six would likely need a complete redesign to be any sort of 2Jz successor.
Besides, while Mazda is a very close partner to Toyota and a Japanese brand, using their engine would rob the new Supra of its image as an entirely in-house project. (Ignoring, for a moment, Yamaha's supposed role in developing the 2JZ.)
Alas, if it's to be a turbocharged petrol four, we can at least expect a huge electric boost to make overall power and acceleration a next-level experience.
After all, if we can get a 227kW hybrid RAV4, the opportunity for a 300kW+ hybrid Supra is really a given.
What about the design?
How the 'A100' will look is a mystery for now, but knowing that it won't need to be clowncar'd onto the hard points of BMW's Z4 means we can indulge in some wishful thinking.
If it's not asking too much, Toyota – and I know you're reading this – could we look to these 'Mk4' A80-inspired speculative renders by Giulio Partisani?
I'll leave y'all with the images below. Tell me what you think, but I gotta say... this has excellent potential as a 'retro' tribute to the A80 that really made the Supra name.
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