The Rarest Supra Will Never Be Driven On A Road
If, like most gearheads, you spend a lot of time looking at online used car specialists and automotive auctions, then you will be familiar with the concept of a car that is hardly ever driven on the road. Whether it is Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari F40 that sat dormant for 30 years, or a Honda CRX with just 326 miles on the clock, there are plenty of cases of cars that rarely see public asphalt. It is both heartbreaking and fascinating that these vehicles haven’t been used as they should. But the rarest GR Supra of them all, and likely the rarest factory Supra period, will never see a road in its life — just not for the same reason. The question is: is it worth it?
The Toyota Supra Is One Of The Most Iconic Japanese Cars Ever Built
The Toyota Supra had a fairly quiet introduction to the world, or at least compared to the icon that it became. Originally, it was designed as a glorified second-gen Celica, launching in 1978 and replacing the four-pot with a smooth six-cylinder engine to move it up a segment. The 2.8-liter A60 Celica Supra followed in 1981, with a wedgy front and pop-up headlights, and this was succeeded by the A70 Supra in 1986, which dropped the Celica name altogether.
Up until this point, the Supra had been a powerful coupe with an emphasis on comfort and touring, but the A80 of 1993 flipped the script completely. Models like the Nissan 300ZX, Mazda RX-7, and Honda NSX were showing that Japan could stake a claim to the focused sports car world that was previously ruled by the likes of Porsche, and the A80 was Toyota’s player in this market. Under the hood of the top-spec A80s was a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter JZ-series straight six offering 320 hp.
Toyota Looked To Germany For A Follow-Up To The A80
Some 20 years after the A80 was canceled in America, Toyota unveiled the new fifth-generation (A90) Toyota GR Supra. The looks may have harked back to the A80, but this time Toyota had collaborated with BMW. The new Supra shared a joint development platform with the Z4, along with the majority of its mechanical underpinnings, powertrain components (including the B58 inline six), and interior tech.
But if purists worried that the car wasn’t Toyota enough, over time it won over fans, and the later addition of a six-speed manual, plus a 434-hp Final Edition, cemented its place in history. But along the way, Toyota released a forgotten limited edition that was rarer than any previous Supra, and definitely not intended to be enjoyed on the road.
The GT4 “100 Edition” Is The Ultimate GR Supra Track Toy
While the natural habitat of Supras tends to be car meets and Fast and the Furious conventions, Toyota wanted the A90 to continue the Supra’s tradition of being a race car too. The Toyota GR Supra GT4 is a factory-built customer race car that was developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing for international GT4-class motorsport, and around 2023 Toyota was delivering its 100th race car to a lucky owner. To mark the occasion, the company decided to build a very limited-edition version of the GR Supra GT4 EVO race car that wasn’t homologated, so it wasn’t actually allowed to race. So what exactly is the GR Supra GT4 “100 Edition”? It’s basically a GT4 car designed for track days, with a number of improvements thrown in.
The 100 Edition Is A Race Car For The, Er, Track
Based on the 444 hp GR Supra GT4 EVO, the collector-focused “100 Edition” comes in a unique Plasma Orange paint and also features a larger hood vent and new dive plane aerodynamic devices at the front for improved downforce. A new exhaust system, without muffler, is fitted to enhance the sound of the 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged engine. Other unique details include endurance LED headlights, carbon fiber wing mirrors, and the inclusion of a passenger seat, with both chairs having embroidered “100 Edition” logos along with a unique badge on the dashboard. Toyota also throws in a bespoke car cover which protects the car from dust and dirt while tucked away safely in your collection.
The GR Supra “100 Edition” Is One Of The Rarest Toyotas In History
We mentioned at the top that this car is rare — and chances are if you own one it will never be side by side with another. Just three examples will be built, making it one of the rarest Toyota vehicles ever launched. What’s more, there will only be one per continent, with a single example planned for Europe, North America, and Asia. The price was 220,000 Euro (excluding taxes and delivery costs), which equates to $246,000. That’s a lot for a Supra, but not that much for an ultra-rare race car that should dominate pretty much any track day it is brought to.
Here’s One You Can Actually Drive On The Road — If You Can Find One
If you missed out on one of the three GR Supra 100 Editions that were made available, buyers in Europe at least did have a chance to buy a tribute to that car. The fittingly named “GT4 100th Edition Tribute” was limited to 100 models and based on the manual 3.0-liter GR Supra Lightweight road car, which packs a 340-hp inline six. The special edition features Plasma Orange paintwork and new 19-inch lightweight matte black alloy wheels. An optional rear spoiler is a nod to the GR Supra GT4. Inside, there are racy features such as black suede-like seat coverings and a suede gear knob. There is also a carbon insert on the dash, which features a “GT4 100th Edition Tribute” graphic. A new Supra could be arriving soon, possibly with hybrid power, but we will have to wait and see how it continues the iconic name.
Sources: Toyota
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