While a lot of the Supra mystique is around the tuning culture and Fast & Furious, the role of motorsport shouldn't be underestimated either. Because we all love a Castrol Supra, right? The glory days of JGTC - immortalised in Gran Turismo, of course - with Pennzoil GT-Rs, Takata NSXs and the Supras arguably made the three cars seem even cooler to those admiring from the UK, especially as our touring cars were Vauxhall Astras and MG ZSes.
Anyway, for the first time in over a decade - an A80 Supra having last competed in 2006 - there will be a Supra, an NSX and a GT-R in Super GT on the grid. The media day for next season, where both DTM and Super GT will use the Class 1 regulations, was this week, with Gazoo Racing's competitor arguably of most interest.
Of course it's a long way from a standard Supra, all angry carbon panels and kerb-scraping stance, but that was always the joy of Japanese touring cars - they were wild and outlandish, making all others look a bit ordinary. Next to the GT-R and NSX it looks smaller and sleeker, too.
Class 1 regulations, as a reminder, use a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder with around 620hp, with DTM being brought more into line with Super GT in the aero and braking changes than the other way around. Bear in mind that those old JGTC cars were making 500hp, alongside less sophisticated aero and tyres, and you can see how much faster the latest cars will be.
The 2020 Super GT season kicks off in April at Okayama, with rounds during the season at Motegi, Sepang, Suzuka and Fuji. The prospect of Supra, NSX and GT-R racing door-to-door again is certainly an exciting one - if only those old liveries could be brought back, too...
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