Brainchild of the Toyota Motor Company, the Supra, a stylish sports car, commenced production in 1979. Its design was based widely on the Toyota Celia for about seven years, following which it assumed its own individuality. In this connection, it must also be mentioned that the engine of the Supra claims connection with the Toyota 2000GT, and the MK 1 vehicle itself was proposed to compete with Datsun Z car.
Starting from a modest 110 hp 2.6 litre 12-valve SOHC inline engine in its 1979 models, the Supra was gradually upgraded and by the time it stopped production in Europe in 1986, the engine power had risen to 178 hp with a 2.8 litre DOHC 5M-GE that had torques of 281 Nm-ft that enabled the car to reach the 0-60 mph mark in just 8.4 seconds at 137 km/h.
The 2-door Toyota Supra (1986) has a rather comfortable cabin and facilitates the driver to have access to the various dashboard controls easily. With well-moulded seats and ample pedal space, this stylish sports car could have been better off with a slightly higher steering column. Although, its subsequent versions made considerable alterations to its interior, it is a fact that only a single version (twin turbo) was released in Great Britain. This model with leather upholstery, and active cruise control, also had a more integrated sunshade as well as a two-piece spoiler on the rear. Other features of the later second generation P-type model were anti theft systems, defoggers in the outer mirrors, and automatic-off lights.
An icon of its times, the Toyota Supra has been highlighted in many movies, music videos and TV shows. Subsequent models of the Supra that delivered much more in terms of style and performance, was restricted to USA and Japan till 2002, after which it officially ended production.
