First A90 Supra fetches £1.6m at auction
Selling for millions in the US, and apparently sold out here, the Supra's launch edition is causing quite a stir...
Remember last week, when a US dealer purchased a mint condition Mk.4 Toyota Supra for just shy of £100,000 and then put it up for sale for more than double that amount? Well now the new car is getting in on the act, with the very first Mk.5 Supra having gone under the hammer as part of Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale charity auction on Saturday. The final price? $2.1 million (around £1.6 million at current exchange rates).
The car itself, dubbed "Global #1" is finished in an exclusive combination of matte gray paint with red mirrors and matte black wheels. Inside, meanwhile, it features a red interior with carbon-fibre inserts identifying it as the first of the U.S. market's launch edition cars. Proper car geeks may get a kick out of the knowledge that Global #1's VIN ends in 20201 - '2020' representing the U.S. model year of those first customer Supras and '1' denoting its status as the first example off the production line - the only Supra that will be so satisfyingly labeled.
The launch edition car has been making headlines on this side of the Atlantic, too, although for rather different reasons. Toyota was reportedly forced to announce its "sincere regret" after demand for the limited-run A90 Special Editions overwhelmed its website. This apparently resulted in several customers being allowed to successfully place their £1,000 deposits for the car, despite the UK's allocation of 24 cars having already sold out.
The affected customers have been given the option of having their money refunded and cancelling the orders all together, or shifting their deposits over to orders for the range-topping Supra 3.0L Pro, including a free two-year service plan and an invitation to attend a Toyota Gazoo Motorsport event as a guest of the company. Whether Toyota is making millions for charity by flogging the car, or having to return customers' money due to excessive demand, though, we're sure that someone in Toyota City will be pleased with the enormous amount of attention their new sports car is getting.
During the (tortuously long) development cycle of the new Supra I remained upbeat about the BMW/ Toyota joint venture, despite it coming in for heavy criticism from purists and internet know-it-alls.
I can't help but feel utterly deflated with the final product however. Subjective I know, but the proportions look all squashed and unnatural to my eye, with tacky embellishments stuck on in various places inside and out. I think it's a bit embarrassing for Toyota actually, that after all their hype this is the final product. What a mess.
The unapologetic BMW iDrive screen plonked on the dash feels like one last own goal by Toyota and ironic given the need to put as much clear blue water as possible between the finished product and it's BMW roots to appease the naysayers. The fact that they will also be releasing a watered down 2.0 version feels like the final twist of the knife as they sell the Supra legacy down the river.
As a JDM fan I despair at the current state of the Japanese performance car sector. I know this part of the market isn't exactly known for it's conservatism, but almost everything seems designed to appeal to spotty teenagers or chavs. The gawky GT86, vulgar RCF, cartoonish Civic Type R and now this tacky Supra. The GTR is what it is and the NSX looks awesome, but both are out of the reach of most ordinary punters.
The new Supra was an opportunity for Toyota to give us a grown up sports car that could compete with the F Type/ M2/ Cayman/ Alpine. Whilst clearly it is a very capable car, on looks and image I cannot imagine it tempting many buyers away from the established options.
It is not indicative of what the normal market would see as the value attributed to the new Supra.
During the (tortuously long) development cycle of the new Supra I remained upbeat about the BMW/ Toyota joint venture, despite it coming in for heavy criticism from purists and internet know-it-alls.
I can't help but feel utterly deflated with the final product however. Subjective I know, but the proportions look all squashed and unnatural to my eye, with tacky embellishments stuck on in various places inside and out. I think it's a bit embarrassing for Toyota actually, that after all their hype this is the final product. What a mess.
The unapologetic BMW iDrive screen plonked on the dash feels like one last own goal by Toyota and ironic given the need to put as much clear blue water as possible between the finished product and it's BMW roots to appease the naysayers. The fact that they will also be releasing a watered down 2.0 version feels like the final twist of the knife as they sell the Supra legacy down the river.
As a JDM fan I despair at the current state of the Japanese performance car sector. I know this part of the market isn't exactly known for it's conservatism, but almost everything seems designed to appeal to spotty teenagers or chavs. The gawky GT86, vulgar RCF, cartoonish Civic Type R and now this tacky Supra. The GTR is what it is and the NSX looks awesome, but both are out of the reach of most ordinary punters.
It is not indicative of what the normal market would see as the value attributed to the new Supra.
What is relevant is no matter how many times I see the new supra it gets no more pleasing to the eye.
What is relevant is no matter how many times I see the new supra it gets no more pleasing to the eye.
During the (tortuously long) development cycle of the new Supra I remained upbeat about the BMW/ Toyota joint venture, despite it coming in for heavy criticism from purists and internet know-it-alls.
I can't help but feel utterly deflated with the final product however. Subjective I know, but the proportions look all squashed and unnatural to my eye, with tacky embellishments stuck on in various places inside and out. I think it's a bit embarrassing for Toyota actually, that after all their hype this is the final product. What a mess.
The unapologetic BMW iDrive screen plonked on the dash feels like one last own goal by Toyota and ironic given the need to put as much clear blue water as possible between the finished product and it's BMW roots to appease the naysayers. The fact that they will also be releasing a watered down 2.0 version feels like the final twist of the knife as they sell the Supra legacy down the river.
As a JDM fan I despair at the current state of the Japanese performance car sector. I know this part of the market isn't exactly known for it's conservatism, but almost everything seems designed to appeal to spotty teenagers or chavs. The gawky GT86, vulgar RCF, cartoonish Civic Type R and now this tacky Supra. The GTR is what it is and the NSX looks awesome, but both are out of the reach of most ordinary punters.
The new Supra was an opportunity for Toyota to give us a grown up sports car that could compete with the F Type/ M2/ Cayman/ Alpine. Whilst clearly it is a very capable car, on looks and image I cannot imagine it tempting many buyers away from the established options.
It's not about willy waving and certainly not doubting the performance credentials of cars like the CTR.
I just wish the Japanese manufacturers would make something a bit more grown up and with a bit more class. I am literally the exact target audience of the new Supra as I am in the market for a new sports car at this price point. I just don't want to drive something that looks like it was styled by a teenager playing Need for Speed Underground.
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