The Toyota Supra TRD Concept Is Leaner And Meaner
Less than a month after the 2020 Toyota Supra was unleashed upon the world, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) has debuted the GR Supra Performance Line Concept TRD. The mouthful of a name could be an attempt at masking the fact that no performance upgrades are on offer as yet.
What Does The Toyota Supra TRD Concept Offer?
As promised in a teaser released last week, Toyota unveiled the concept on TRD Japan’s website. The move might seem hasty for some, but when a motoring icon is making a grand comeback, performance upgrades just can’t come too soon. And when an icon steeped in aftermarket performance upgrades like the Supra is returning, it’s never too early to start kitting it out.
The Toyota Supra TRD Concept provides future Supra owners a visual idea of how they can upgrade their cars. TRD offers a range of enhancements to the Supra’s form, all of which serve some function or the other. Front spoilers with huge fins increase downforce and mitigate high-speed lift-ups. Side skirts help in lowering the overall centre of gravity of the car.
Lastly, the tasty door garnish isn’t just for show. It is designed specifically to cut down on turbulence and send airflow to the derriere in an orderly fashion. The Toyota Supra TRD Concept also comes with forged 19-inch aluminium rims with mesh spoke design.
At the rear, spats are added next to the exhausts to stabilize the rear-wheel-drive coupe. A trunk spoiler completes the package, adding visual flair to the rear while balancing the Supra’s aerodynamics. TRD designed the package to widen the car’s stance to eliminate any unintended yaw. The best part? all parts can be ordered in carbon fibre!
Where does the Supra TRD lose out?
That would be power. TRD has no parts or components that boost the power output of the Supra, which is currently rated at 335hp. Although more than 300 horses are sufficient for blistering performance in the real world, the Supra badge has long been associated with insane, fire-breathing coupes capable of belting out four-figure power figures.
However, it’s not all gloom and doom yet. For one, the TRD site reads “To Be Continued” at the bottom, meaning there’s more in store for the Supra TRD. And if not the company, I’m pretty sure the aftermarket is just waiting to get all over the new Supra as soon as it becomes available. It’s a Supra after all, which is bound to spawn an entire industry of aftermarket parts and accessories.
The day is not far away when we see 1,500-hp Supras outrun Bugatti Chirons on drag strips, banging and popping away to glory.