Toyota Celica Supra

The Toyota Supra did not have a long life for a Toyota, but it gained a lot of friends and respect when it was here. Known for its driver orientation, snug cabin, conveniences, and a strong turbo engine, the Supra greatly helped Toyota’s reputation among motorheads for a while. However, a high price kept it from selling well, and it eventually faded away from American and, later, Japanese sales floors

Introduced in 1979 as a model of the Celica, (Supra comes from Latin, and means “above,” so the Supra is above the Celica), the Supra has been related to the acclaimed 2000GT sports car, whose straight-six engine it used; at first it had a solid-axle rear suspension, and the twelve-valve engine only produced 110 hp, with fuel injection. The Supra was longer than the Celica liftback by a good five inches. Four wheel disc brakes were standard, as was a five-speed manual transmission; a four-speed automatic, unusual in those three-speed times, was optional. The MacPherson strut suspension included a sway bar, and the rear suspension had a stabilizer and sway bar.



In Japan, the Supra almost immediately gained optional turbo power from a Garrett T03 unit (which would become popular with Chrysler in later years), which boosted power to a more reasonable 145 hp when hooked up to a 2-liter straight-six. In the United States, there were minor cosmetic changes and formerly-optional steel wheels became standard. A year later, the six cylinder was boosted to 2.8 liters to make 116 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, and gearing in the automatic changed. The sports package became available with suspension upgrades, front and rear spoilers, and other minor additions.