Friday 11th January 2019

Toyota Supra leaks ahead of Detroit show debut

For what ought to be the final time, the A90 Supra is the subject of an internal false start

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Has a car leaked more times than the fifth generation Toyota Supra? The inordinately long gestation period hasn't helped, of course (the manufacturer started began pursuing the idea at the turn of the decade) nor the umpteen concepts that have been and gone in that time. Even so, Toyota has signally failed to keep things wired tight.

Today offers an additional example. Even on the cusp of its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show, the firm hasn't managed to keep the production model under wraps. According to Jalopnik, the blame (this time around) lies with Toyota Mexico, which posted the in-house video below on its Twitter account.

Of course, the damage is somewhat mitigated by the extent of the leaks which have preceded it, not to mention an extensive track drive programme based on the prototype. So we already know many, many things - if not precise details - just as we knew what the car looked like, despite the attention of Toyota's camouflage paint department.

The video - now courtesy of Carscoops - adds nothing in the numbers department, but does reveal the A90 in all its red-coloured glory. Your opinions on its appearance are likely fully-formed already, although for what its worth, the consensus in the office still has the collective PH thumb pointing up. Certainly it has the right proportions, anyway (being impressively long in the bonnet and short in the overhangs) and is raked and angular and striking where a Supra ought to be.

Just how pleasing it appears in the flesh remains to be seen, just as the final (final) details are still to be discovered. Enough to keep us in expectant mood for Monday morning in Detroit, obviously - but perhaps not quite at the edge of our seats. Where we ought to have been.

 

[Robert-nszl1]

Certainly a better looking nose in my view, but the front overhang is still too long, and the bonnet looks a bit out of proportion. I assume front impact legislation is the cause of some of these design issues in modern cars. This is more resolved than the BMW though.

[MX6]

Looks great to me, very nice sports car shape, really like the long bonnet and stubby rear end. Reminds me a bit of the Z4 (e85), in terms of the proportions of the silhouette, with the ducktail-ish form on the boot...

[jl34]

Roof line is way to high. Just looks fat and bulbous but not in a good way. Proportionally just not right at all. Shame

[Daston]

Looks better in the video and sounds quite nice too. Shame it isn't a 2+2 like the old one.

[anonymous-user]

To my eyes very fussy and strangely proportioned. Hardly exciting knowing it has the same donkey as the Z4. Nothing wrong with said donkey, just not much opportunity for differentiation.

[chrisironside]

I had a friend in school who loved planes, but didn't care much for cars.
I'm pretty sure he drew this exact car back then. Not a fan.

[Shotgun Bri]

To me it's just a Z4. I think with the significance and potential legacy of what this car is and will be Toyota should have made the effort to create their own. It's just a lame effort.
I'd buy a MK4 Supra any day (can anyone even afford one nowadays) but will be staying well clear of the the MK5.

[thegreenhell]

Toyota Supra leaks ahead of Detroit show debut

Well it's lucky they found the leak now, before it could leak all over the show stand. That would have been embarrassing. Hope it was an easy fix.

[Mackofthejungle]

jl34 said:

Roof line is way to high. Just looks fat and bulbous but not in a good way. Proportionally just not right at all. Shame

No worse than the famous 90s one though.. Now there's a dog.

[wab172uk]

Not keen on the front end,

[Guvernator]

I'd have to see one in the flesh to confirm but in the pics and vids I've seen so far the proportions don't look quite right. Also I'm not obsessed with power but at the time the MKIV was released, 300bhp was a decent amount of power and the Supra was rightly singled out as a giant slayer for a bargain price, nowadays you can buy a hot hatch with that much power for £30k so it's nowhere near as impressive.

I also hope Toyota have breathed on the donor BMW engine a bit to spice it up a little. It's a nice enough engine up to about 7/10ths but it's not exactly the last word in thrills and excitement.

So in summary the jury is still out.

[PhantomPH]

I've had these two images since 31st December - hardly news or a new leak at all. As usual, not on the ball, Pistonheads!

[jayemm89]

That bonnet looks extremely high, and the whole car looks too narrow. No doubt a result of ever-stricter design regs. May look much better in the flesh - nothing some wide arches can't fix!

[smilo996]

Like it. Perhaps it could be compred to the TVR but is more sculpted, complex and lithe
Good to see designers not afraid to do something different. Love the side view with the set back roof line.

[ES335]

It's not that the roofline is too high, but rather the way the roof transitions to the windowframe.

It's a little like the styling of the Lotus Evora in that regard: an aspect of an otherwise pretty car that I'm never been comfortable with.

I'll wait for more images of the Supra though before passing judgment.

[MX6]

ES335 said:

It's not that the roofline is too high, but rather the way the roof transitions to the windowframe.

Yes that's it's, I noticed that too. It's not a design feature that I'm much of a fan of but it seems to be cropping up more now. It's a lot more pronounced on the Aston Zagato shooting brake, quite I think is quite ugly, a lot of roof depth above the top edge of the side windows...

[Portrait]

The 'leaks' for this car have been so drawn out that I'm bored of it. The excitement is lost.

Edited by Portrait on Friday 11th January 17:22

[Nerdherder]

You know what, there's some proportional coherence to the design of this weirdly snouted and overly styled car. I might just like it.

[Honeywell]

I like it but I wish ghey could have made it a 2+2.

With the 911 so very expensive these days there is a real hole in he market around £55k for a high performance coupe which can do the school run at a pinch.

[Smokey32]

Honeywell said:

I like it but I wish ghey could have made it a 2+2.

With the 911 so very expensive these days there is a real hole in he market around £55k for a high performance coupe which can do the school run at a pinch.

M4