Can you believe it’s been 45 years since the first Toyota Supra launched? Alright, so the first-generation car isn’t often remembered, but that hasn’t stopped its makers from trotting out a Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition for the 2024 model year that has almost nothing to do with the original. See, Toyota claims that this limited-run GR Supra has “a look reminiscent of the MkIV model of big screen fame,” which comes across as tiptoeing around an IP minefield.
Still, one look and people might get it, at least depending on spec. It’s not Fast And The Furious, please don’t sue.
See, buyers have two color choices: A fabulously bright orange named Mikan Blast, or a white that Toyota calls “ice-cold Absolute Zero,” which sounds like a competitor to Labatt Ice. Trust me, you’ll want to go hard in the motha-flippin’ paint on this one and spec “The Fast and the Furious”-style orange. Get it in the good color and all that. If you don’t, special orange strut tower braces will constantly remind you that a brighter option was available.
Weirdly, the Fanta paint job isn’t the only heavy-hitting visual on this special GR Supra as Toyota’s fitted a surprisingly cheap-looking adjustable rear spoiler that could use a set of end plates to really cap off the tuner vibes. Then again, maybe the wing’s just circumcised and I shouldn’t judge? Either way, Toyota claims owners will be able to change the angle of attack to increase or reduce downforce, which feels very era-correct.
No Toyota special edition is complete without vinyl garnish, so bring on the tape stripes with punched-out Supra wordmarks to add visual complexity on the cheap. Hilariously, these stripes run head-first into the fake vents on the doors, exuding ‘70s posturing rather than ‘00s rap-metal faux machismo. Oh, and to top it all off, Toyota’s made the odd decision to paint the brake calipers black, causing them to largely disappear into the car’s vast arches.
As you can likely tell, I’m having a hard time rationalizing this special edition. It’s very possible that the wing does something, but otherwise, nothing about this package makes the GR Supra faster in the real world. There isn’t even mention of special interior touches aside from a numbered plaque to tell owners which of 900 cars they own, which is disappointing as the A91 MT Edition came with gorgeous tan leather upholstery. Don’t get me wrong, the manual GR Supra might still be the best new BMW you can buy today, but this 45th Anniversary Edition feels like more of a cash grab than anything else. However, if you want a really special GR Supra, Toyota can still provide.
This is the GR Supra GT4 Evo and unfortunately, it’s not something you can just take on the road. Instead, it’s a version of the GT4 race car that’s been hitting the protein powder while reading Sun Tzu — a smarter, pumped-up track toy that’s out for blood. It might not be more powerful than the standard version, but that doesn’t matter when balance of performance comes into play. What does matter is that this thing’s packing a tweaked cooling system, updated KW dampers, new anti-roll bars, and beefed-up brakes so drivers can run longer, corner flatter, and brake harder than competitors driving the standard car. All this speed likely doesn’t come cheap, but you know what they say — to make a small fortune racing, it helps to start with a large one.
Pricing for the Toyota GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition is expected to drop close to its on-sale date this autumn, along with details on the more regular members of the 2024 GR Supra range. Unless there’s some sort of strange price parity going on, I reckon it’s likely best to skip the special edition, get the stick, and live your best life a quarter mile at a time, even if you like the tuna.
(Photo credits: Toyota)
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It’s a good color, but without any performance mods, it’s not feeling very furious. Might as well have licensed the movie car deco with the black hood and add a F&F plate to the dash. The GR86 Trueno Edition is more interesting to me (and they got the black hood right).
If I’m remembering correctly, ‘Mikan’ means tangerine in Japanese-specifically, their wonderful little ones that are super-easy to peel while keeping the peel intact. I once drew the continents on one and made a Mercator projection world map just for fun.
But Tangerine Blast doesn’t sound near as cool.
Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!
For those of us who live in Northeast USA, there’s a classic everyday beer called Narragansett. For a few years now, each summer they switch the can design from its already retro looking one to a very specific retro one, from 1975.
Why? Because in Jaws, Quint downs one onboard the Orca. Narragansett takes it right up to the don’t sue me line, with the cans referencing the beer “that captain drank in that movie about a big ass shark,” and now even kinda/sorta recreating the iconic movie poster on the cartons. It’s pretty cool.
These press photos make it look like matte paint, but I think they are a gloss finish. Too bad, as the Supra would look great in orange matte.
Was there an orange BMW in the fast and the furious?
Savage…