July 19, 2022

Is Toyota Motor PH Introducing The Refreshed GR Supra?


Is Toyota Motor Philippines about to launch the A91 GR Supra? That might as well be the case based on this photo that appeared on social media.

The photo itself looks pretty innocuous showing two GR Supras lapping the Clark International Speedway. However, upon closer inspection, it looks like the GR Supra in the foreground is sporting a color that wasn’t available as part of Toyota Motor Philippines’ launch line-up for the sportscar when it was launched in 2019.

To recall, the GR Supra is available in seven colors and the sole blue, Deep Blue Metallic, is darker hued than the car in question.

Looking through the GR Supra’s color catalogue, however, this lighter shade of blue—Refraction Blue—along with the matte 19-inch alloy wheels—was made available starting with the updated A91.

Launched globally in 2020 (as a MY2021 model), this version of the sports car sees a power bump to its 3.0-liter inline-6. All in all, it makes 382 horsepower at 5,800-6,500 rpm and 499 Nm of torque at 1,800-5,000 rpm—a jump of 27 horsepower and 4 Nm of torque, respectively from the previous 3.0-liter.

The increased output results from a slew of upgrades throughout the engine. The new dual-branch exhaust manifold, with six ports instead of two, improves heat management. A new piston design reduces the engine’s compression ratio from 11:1 to 10.2:1.

Toyota projects that the new engine will reduce the Supra’s 0-100 km/h time from 4.1 to 3.9 seconds.

Apart from the new engine, the 2021 GR Supra gets retuned chassis as well. It adds lightweight aluminum braces that tie the strut towers to the radiator support to increase lateral rigidity, along with front and rear bump stops and new damper tuning. The steering, suspension, stability control, and active differential were all retuned as well to make it stable through quick transitions.

Now, if this were an official photo shoot (and it sure looked like it), it’s quite possible that the white-colored (Absolute Zero) GR Supra could be sporting a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. While it has less power (258 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque) compared to the 3.0-liter, it does weigh 100 kilograms less. 0 to 100 km/h is dispatched in 5.2 seconds, while top speed’s the same at 250 km/h.

Of course, this could all be a ruse and that the GR Supra in question is simply an A90 model that’s been made to look like an A91.

In any case, with Toyota Motor Philippines launching the GR86 very soon, the possible additions of the refreshed GR Supra to the growing Gazoo Racing family could add even more excitement to their product line. Plus, we will be finding out for sure in the coming days so stay tuned.

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