Toyota: The Legend Returns
March 06 2018 - 5:09AM
JCN Newswire (English)
The GR Supra Racing Concept makes its world debut at the Geneva
Motor Show, reviving the name and spirit of the most celebrated
model in Toyota's illustrious sportscar heritage and demonstrating
Toyota's commitment to bringing the Supra back to the market. It
also shows the future potential for a car that can deliver high
performance both on road and track.
http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_GRSupraRacing%20Concept.jpg
GR Supra Racing Concept
Toyota Supra heritage
The GR Supra Racing Concept revives the great heritage of one of
Toyota's most famous sports cars.
The Supra name evokes power, performance and handling that defined
a succession of world-class cars for a quarter of a century. As a
thoroughbred sports car, the Toyota Supra built a reputation both
as a formidable performer on the road and as an all-conquering
machine on the racetrack, dominating Japan's top-level GT racing
series and earning legions of fans.
The Toyota Supra still enjoys an iconic status among sports car
aficionados, 16 years from the end of production. Its enduring
popularity has been helped by its success as a popular model in the
Gran Turismo driving simulator video game, and as a starring car in
the first film in The Fast and the Furious global action movie
series.
The Supra badge first appeared in 1978 on a larger and more
powerful version of the second generation Celica before becoming
established as a successful model in its own right.
Known as the A40, the original Supra was followed by three further
generations: the A60 in 1981, A70 in 1986 and A80 in 1993.
The front engine/rear-wheel drive GT sportscar remained in
production until 2002, and in its final generation it was Toyota's
most powerful production model.
The Supra's reputation was greatly enhanced by its success in
motorsport. Most notably, the fourth generation Supra, introduced
in 1993, became the dominant force in the All-Japan GT
racing--today's Super GT series--winning the GT500 class four
times.
The Toyota Supra also competed in American IMSA sportscar racing in
the 1980s and twice appeared at Le Mans in the 1990s.
GR Supra Racing Concept
A compact, two-door car, the GR Supra Racing Concept has a pure
front-engine/rear-wheel drive configuration and makes use of
advanced lightweight materials in its construction.
Created by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, the concept perfectly expresses the
"fun to drive" quality that is intrinsic to Toyota's commitment to
making ever-better cars. The large "90" race number on its doors is
a historical reference to Supra's codename and a big visual clue to
the fact that this concept heralds Supra's return in a fifth
generation.
Its development is true to the belief of Kiichiro Toyoda, founder
of the car company, that participation in motorsport provides the
challenges of performance and durability that can directly help
develop better cars, while at the same time generating interest and
excitement among motoring fans.
This ethos has been fully embraced by both Toyota Motor Corporation
President Akio Toyoda and by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, with the pursuit
of success at the highest levels of international motorsport,
including the World Rally Championship, World Endurance
Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hours race. Taking part in these
and other racing series around the world provides technical
learnings that can be transferred from the race track or rally
stage to development of not just new generations of Toyota's
sports-focused GR models, but also to its wider range of vehicles,
driven by tens of millions of people around the world.
The GR Supra Racing Concept is to be featured in a new update of
the Gran Turismo Sport video game, developed by Polyphony Digital
Inc., and scheduled for release in April 2018.
Design, chassis and equipment features
The racing concept has a dramatic bodywork design that includes a
large rear wing. It makes extensive use of strong but lightweight
composite material for elements such as the wide front and rear
bumpers, front splitter and rear diffuser, side skirts, door mirror
housings and the rear wing. The hood is crafted from the same
material and features louvred air inlets. The windscreen and side
windows are made of plastic.
The concept's chassis features lowered front and rear suspension
using original equipment (OE) components. BBS racing wheels with
centre-nut attachment are fitted with Michelin racing tyres. The
braking system uses Brembo Racing callipers and discs and there is
a racing exhaust.
The cabin is entirely competition-focused and is fitted with a
racing dashboard and OMP driver's seat and safety harness. OMP has
also supplied the quick-release steering wheel, mounted on a racing
column and equipped with a paddle shift system. The doors are lined
with carbon fibre panels and the dashboard includes a racing
display.
Competition safety requirements are met by a full roll cage and
fire extinguishers, and the fuel and brake lines, pedal box,
battery and wiring looms are all designed to competition
standard.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing first competed in Europe in 2007 (as GAZOO
Racing). It began a long association with the Nurburgring 24 Hours
with two Toyota Altezza cars (equivalent to the first generation
Lexus IS) and a team comprising drivers and mechanics who were
Toyota employees.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has since become the international umbrella
organisation for Toyota's global sporting programme. In just the
past year is has claimed two victories during its first season in
the FIA World Rally Championship and won five rounds of the FIA
World Endurance Championship. Its new vehicle development programme
has produced the Yaris GRMN performance hatchback, the latest in a
successful series of performance-focused GR-branded cars and the
first GRMN model to be developed and built in Europe.
Its work is based on three pillars: developing people through
taking part in motorsport; creating fans through the excitement of
motorsport and producing fun-to-drive cars; and making ever-better
cars by using the knowledge gained from competition.
By bringing employees into the racing garages and pit lane, TOYOTA
GAZOO Racing helps them improve their skills and help them acquire
new abilities, working as a team in extreme, high-pressure
environments. The personal development aspect of this work again
feeds directly into Toyota's making of ever-better cars, supported
by people who have the experience and vision to excel.
About Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that
introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first
mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in
Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today,
Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the
world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in
29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to
mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170
countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For
more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.
Source: Toyota
Contact:
Public Affairs Division
Global Communications Department
Toyota Motor Corporation
Tel: +81-3-3817-9926
Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.