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The Toyota Supras of SEMA 2019

There were more than two dozen modified Toyota Supras on display at the 2019 SEMA auto show. Here’s the pick of them.


The new Toyota Supra sports-car is only just starting to arrive in showrooms in Australia and the US, but already the hot tuner crowd have gotten their hands on more than a few examples.

The 2019 SEMA auto show had more than two dozen modified Toyota Supras on display, from mild to wild.

By far the hardest on the eyes was the Nascar version of the Toyota Supra. It loses all of the original car’s curves because there are strict aerodynamic guidelines to maintain parity in the class. That’s why it looks like a rectangle with Supra stickers on it.

Fortunately there were plenty of palate-cleansers on the Toyota stand, and inside and outside the exhibition halls.

Toyota put a spotlight on the GR (Gazoo Racing, effectively the successor to Toyota Racing Development and the company’s new performance brand) “Hyperboost Edition”.

It was the creation of rev head, broadcaster and self-confessed ‘Supra-file’ (I didn’t know that was a word, but now it is, according to Toyota) Rutledge Wood. According to Toyota, Rutledge “expressed his vision” for the Supra to his car-builder, Rick Leos of Lucky Leos 17 Motorsports. 

“They transformed his concept into reality as his aptly named project features a custom turbo kit that more than doubles the output to 750-plus horsepower,” says Toyota. “A 20-piece carbon-fibre wide-body kit gives this hyper-boosted machine more aggressive body lines with broad shoulders and a menacing stance.”

Alongside it on the stand was a hunkered down red Supra with a few subtle modifications that could in fact be an even hotter Gazoo Racing version, although Toyota wasn’t saying.

With the Supra competing for the first time in Nascar, Toyota also unveiled the Supra Pace Car for the series.

It’s equipped with Tein coil-over suspension, Project Mu brake pads, HRE Forged P101 Monoblok wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tyres, and a Whelen LED light bar. After making its appearance on the Toyota stand, it will be sent to the next race in Phoenix, Arizona at ISM Raceway.

Meanwhile, Toyota says the GR Supra Heritage Edition was inspired by elements of the Mk IV Supra from the late 1990s. “This infusion of style pays tribute to the Supra’s heritage,” says Toyota. “Tuned to produce over 500 horsepower on a stock long block, this homage to the past produces tyre-melting performance that complements its new retro-modern aesthetics.”

Translation for this PR-speak: we turned up the wick.

The GR Supra Performance Line Concept has extensive carbon-fibre aero panels and 19-inch forged aluminum wheels.

The GR Supra 3000GT Concept is said to be a tribute to the iconic TRD3000GT Supra body kit of the mid-1990s that was released in celebration of the Supra’s success in Japanese touring car competition.

“This modern take on that era of racing will stir up feelings of nostalgia among Supra race fanatics,” says the blurb.

The GR Supra Wasabi Concept is Toyota’s vision of “a Supra for the masses”. It has massive Brembo brakes, Öhlins suspension, Toyota forged aluminium wheels and Five Axis aero parts.

The fastest example on the Toyota stand is one that can’t be driven on public roads. The Toyota GR Supra GT4 race car debuted at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show in March but SEMA 2019 was its first US public appearance.

By this time next year, though, someone in the US will try to out-do the race car and build one for the road.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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