REALLY? Toyota Says New Supra Will Debut In Camouflage At Goodwood

The new Toyota Supra, one of the world’s most keenly anticipated new sports cars, will make its international debut in prototype form at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer.

The development model will be seen in action on the hill course at the famous motoring celebration in the UK, making an exclusive contribution to the programme for the festival’s silver jubilee year. The prototype will be driven up the hill course by two of the people leading its development: Chief Engineer Testuya Tada, who has overall responsibility for the Supra project, and Master Driver Herwig Daenens.

Following the announcement of a new Toyota Supra at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Toyota can confirm the model will be faithful to its distinguished heritage as pure, sports car thoroughbred by using a front-mounted, in-line six-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive.

The Toyota Supra prototype will be camouflaged in the black-red- and-white colours of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and will be in action on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival, July 12, 13, 14 and 15.

The thousands of motoring fans attending the festival will also have the chance to take a close-up look at the Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept. Created by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, this concept heralded the return of the Supra name when it was unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. It explores the potential for a high-performance competition model, featuring dramatic bodywork crafted in advanced, lightweight composite materials, lowered suspension, racing wheels and cockpit equipped to competition standards.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is the organisation which spearheads Toyota’s global sporting programme and the development of exclusive, performance-focused, GR-branded road cars, including the recently introduced Yaris GRMN. In the FIA World Endurance Championship, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing achieved Toyota’s first victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours with a one-two finish in this year’s race and the N°8 TOYOTA TS050 Hybrid which claimed the historic victory will be on display in the competition paddock at Goodwood.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing also competes at the highest international level in the FIA World Rally Championship with the Yaris WRC, claiming two victories in its debut season in 2017 and scoring a win on Rally Argentina and a number of podium finishes so far this year.

Toyota expects its new Toyota Supra to reach the market during the first half of 2019.

countguy - 7/9/2018 3:12:59 PM

+5 Boost

LMAO, LAME!

MDarringer - 7/9/2018 3:47:00 PM

0 Boost

Debut in camouflage? Is that like trying to be a prostitute and maintaining virginity at the same time?

Something has to be wrong with the Supra for its introduction to have been imminent and then to suddenly get pushed back a year as was done. Something's not right.

malba2367 - 7/9/2018 4:17:39 PM

+3 Boost

This is some sort of half a$$ attempt to drum up interest for what Toyota knows is a lame vehicle at this point. I don't think there is much interest in a rebadged BMW Z4 for $65K+...and it will only get worse if the mid engine Corvette is anywhere in that ballpark.
I honestly can not figure out a target market for this car....besides someone who walks into a Toyota dealer and thinks it looks cool.

carloslassiter - 7/9/2018 4:53:40 PM

+3 Boost

Has any other maker ever done a camo intro before? I can't recall it if so.

PUGPROUD - 7/9/2018 4:54:19 PM

+2 Boost

It always seems,to me at least, that cars that take this long to come to market loose their karma along the way and are not as well received taking on an air of "that's old news" or "is that all there is."

MDarringer - 7/9/2018 5:51:49 PM

0 Boost

Indeed you are correct.

The better question is why not just rebody the RC in a cheaper, less luxurious form as the Supra? Less luxury, more scoot.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 7/9/2018 6:05:34 PM

+2 Boost

@MD. That would have been the far more logical choice. Having it done all in-house is the best choice and it would then be a real Toyota too. The Bupra will be a sad reminder to Toyota on what not to do with a legacy model.

MDarringer - 7/9/2018 9:05:30 PM

0 Boost

@CC The Supra would have been a massive success as a Japanese Mustang, which is what the first Celica in essence was and of course the Celica was the basis for the Supra initially. Moreover, a successful Toyota Mustang would have made RWD Lexus models more profitable due to economies of scale.

Ironically, ToyoLex has shown it can outfox BMW. The LC looks like it's from 10 years into the future and the 8 Series from 10 years into the past.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 7/9/2018 9:16:51 PM

+2 Boost

@MD - So the question is why didn't they do that? They did not want the Supra to best the RC? Too many check marks to ignore this path, but they did anyway. From Toyota's perspective, they are running the same play, Same power, same size, same engine, but with updated styling. I guess they thought nobody would care it is a BMW?

MDarringer - 7/9/2018 11:56:06 PM

-2 Boost

@CC They fell for the halo car BS despite the fact that Lexus failed with the LFA. Nissan failed with the Z car and GTR. Honda/Acura failed with the S2000 and two NSXs.

A halo car is a Corvette i.e. in the theoretical ballpark of a high end Impala driver. A halo only works when it is ATTAINABLE. For Toyota that's $35-50K.

I'd argue that the LC is an infinitely more effective halo car than the LFA.

What I don't understand is Toyota's laziness of first letting feckless Subaru design an RWD car and then abandoning Toyota's standard of quality and reliability to be a re-fendered BMW with issues.

qwertyfla1 - 7/9/2018 7:55:41 PM

+1 Boost

The original Supra was a success because it was fun to drive, cheap, reliable and good looking. The new Supra is hideous, overpriced and reliability will be questionable as it is a rebadged BMW. Epic fail in every way.

TauronB2G - 7/10/2018 6:49:37 AM

+4 Boost

Who cares? They’ve been teasing this thing for years now. I’m tired of it. Unless it grows GTR power at this point it’s a non factor.