Hey there SteemIt Community!
As I had stated in an my introduction post I am a big fan of the automotive industry and racing, particularly drifting. I had mentioned doing a build blog for my car, and felt before that before I did that I could give a brief history on the Toyota Supra!
Image Source: AutoBlog - http://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/03/toyotas-chief-engineer-supra-name-report/
Alright, lets get right in to it shall we?
I'm sure you have all either heard about this fine automobile or know about it very well but for those who don't really know much about the Supra, then this post is for you.
If you are anything like me, the Supra caught your eye in the early 2000's after "The Fast and The Furious" release. Ever since then the car has been a dream of mine and many others, but how exactly did the Supra come to be one of Toyota's most famous models. To figure this out we need to travel back to the 70's!
The Supra was largely based on Toyota's second generation Celica (the A40). So lets learn a little about the first generation of the Celica (the A20) to learn a little about its past. It was first unveiled in 1970 at [The Tokyo Motor Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Motor_Show) as a rival to other coupes, roadsters and sports cars alike during those times. With it's release the Celica would be Toyota's new sports car line replacing the Sports 800 in the market, over the next few years the Celica would grow in to it's sports car status. In 1970-1973 the car could be found with two versions one being the LT which came with a 1.6 L 2T carbureted four cylinder producing about 75 hp @ 5200 rpm and 86 ft lbs @ 3800 rpm, the other being the ST could be found with the same 1.6L motor but with twin carbs (2T-B) bring the total horsepower and torque to approximately 95 hp @ 5200 rpm and 100 ft lbs @ 3800 rpm. In 1974 the GT version was made available and came with a 2T-G 1.6L DOHC with again, a slight increase in specs now producing 110-125 hp and 105-109 ft lbs of torque. The North American models came with slightly higher displacement with 1.9L 18R and the 2.0L 20R. The Celica was definitely an iconic car and won Motor Trend's import car of the year in 1974, 1976 and 1977! The first appearance in the rally scene for the Celica was in 1972 driven by Ove Andersson to take 9th place in the RAC rally.
The second generation of the Celica production started in 1977 and was et for market in 1978. Both model versions would be powered by a 2.2L 20R producing slightly different values depending on when then engine was manufactured but interesting none the less, 90 - 96 hp @ 4800 rpm and 120 - 122 ft lbs of torque @ 2400 - 2800 rpm. While all that hold true for the North American versions the Japanese versions came with 1.6L, 1.8L and a 2.0L power plant.
Now as we stand today, a nostalgic icon that is the late 70's Celica classic car is now highly sought after among a few other major icons such as older skylines and Mazda RX series cars.
And with all that, we finally make it to the very first mention of the Supra! In 1978 production was started for the MKI Supra. It started out its life under the name Toyota Celica XX or the Celica Supra. This version varied slightly from the Celica model by sharing the same rear body and doors but had an elongated front end to fit the new inline 6 cylinder motor under the hood. The North American version came with 123 hp 2.0L inline 6 while the Japanese version came with a slightly smaller 2.0L to avoid customers being taxed under the Vehicle Size and Engine Displacement Regulations, producing 110 hp. In 1980 the first generation Supra was tweaked a bit and now included a 2.8L 5M-E and produced 116 hp, also in 1980 they put out a sport design for the 1981 models!
Now finally, something I have a little experience with myself! The second generation of the Celica Supra! i had purchased one of these back when I was in school after i had know for a while I had wanted a "Supra". I had purchased an '83 Celica Supra, black with a silver racing stripe, it came with a 2.8L 5m-ge with a W58 5 speed transmission. It was amazing and I loved it, the car helped my love for the Supra grow even larger. When sales started on these magnificent vehicles in 1981 they were offered in two different types, the p type and the l type. P type meaning performance type and L type meaning Luxury, both versions of the Celica Supra would be the same mechanically but would vary in cosmetic differences and other slight features. The 5M-GE that is in the North American versions would produce 145 hp and 155 ft lbs of torque, more than enough for the size of the vehicle, completing the 0-60 mph in 9.8s and finishing the 1/4 mile in 17.2 seconds at 80 mph. In 1983 the 5M-GE motor series got a tune up and was now producing 150 hp and 159 ft lbs of torque! By 1986 the Celica Supra had undergone minor tweaks and changes and had settled at 161 hp and 169 ft lbs of torque, now able to do the 0-60 mph in 8.4 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 16.1 seconds at 85 mph!
I had long since sold my MKII Supra and though that was the end of my Supra days. Until I had purchased a written off 1990 Targa top (not the smartest move but it got me back in to the Supra life). This is where we get in to the third generation of Supras (1986-1993). This is the generation where the ties to the Celica name had been cut and they went of in defferent directions with each model, this marked the very first "Supra" as we know it today. With this big change in the model line up, new and good things were to come for the Supra, it was being released with a 3.0L inline 6 200 hp power plant! It wasn't until 1987 that they came out with a turbo model producing 232 hp and 240 ft lbs of torque at the stock 5 psi. In 1990 Toyota introduced the 2.5L 1JZ-GTE with a large increase in power. The 1JZ was a monster of an engine and would go on to be one of the more commonly known Toyota motors.
And with that, we are on to the fourth generation of the Supra, probably the most well known iconic model of them all. The MKIV Supra was produced from 1993-2002, although the official start to planning and building the MKIV started in 1989. With this generation came an abundance of changes including the new futuristic (for the time) rounded body style and an all new focus on power! This model was given two new motor choices one being the 2JZ-GE (Naturally Aspirated) and the 2JZ-GTE (Twin Turbo), the 2JZ-GE produces 220 hp and 210 ft lbs of torque, while the 2JZ-GTE produces 276 hp and 318 ft lbs of torque! The twin turbo version of this model was capable of doing 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds, and the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds at 109 mph!
Image Source: Legendary Videos - http://www.legendaryvideos.com/cars/20-best-looking-cars-from-the-1990s/
In my opinion, the 2JZ motor is one of Toyota's top motors, and largely helped contribute to the success of the Supra, but it's not all about brains either, beauty is key here too!
Im sorry I had to speed this up a lot at the end since I am currently running out of time, but out of all the amazing icons in the sports car scene, whether they are domestic or import, the Toyota Supra is by far my favorite, although Nissan and Mazda have made many amazing vehicles over the same time frame, like the skyline, 300zx, 240sx and mazda with the rx series. I still have a love for the Supra and all sports cars!
Thanks a bunch for reading!
A huge shout out to the amazing SteemIt community!
Sources:
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/toyota/1970-2006-toyota-celica-history-ar16094.html
http://blog.toyota.co.uk/history-of-the-toyota-supra
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_T_engine#2T
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Celica#A40
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_R_engine#20R
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_M_engine#7M-GTE