New Toyota Supra will be the LAST high-revving petrol Toyota

Toyota’s chief engineer Tetsuya Tada has declared that the new Toyota Supra will be the most fun to drive in its class, and the last high-revving petrol sports car from Toyota.

The new fifth-generation Toyota Supra has been front and centre at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ahead of its debut in production guise for 2019. And it looks an appealing car.

With a stiff setup – as stiff as the LFA but without using carbon fibre – it will come with a straight-six BMW petrol engine, a short wheelbase – shorter even than the GT86 – and an entry-level four-pot too. And Toyota’s chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, is rather pleased with the result.

He’s pleased the new Supra has a six-cylinder in-line engine at the front (even if it is a BMW engine) and rear wheel drive, pleased that the Supra is as stiff as the LFA with a short wheelbase and wide track, and pleased it carries forward hints of the A80 (fourth generation) Supra to keep the lineage intact.

Tetsuya Tada also believes that the new Supra will be the most fun to drive car in its class when it arrives next year, although he cautions that the Supra will be the last of its kind from Toyota. He said:

Looking at the current automotive industry, the talk is all about autonomous driving, electrification and artificial intelligence. What that’s doing is giving rise to a lot of strict regulations, and that limits our capacity to make emotional sports cars; it’s getting much more difficult to do that. I think the new Supra will be the last present from Toyota to those who enjoy hearing the pleasing sound of a pure petrol engine at high revs.

It sounds like it’s going to be all hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs in the future from Toyota, even for sports cars. Say goodbye to the petrol-engined sports car from Toyota with the new Supra.