Toyota Supra Mark IV
The Toyota Supra is a popular name among automotive enthusiasts and when it comes to sports cars, the Supra Mark IV is even more popular. Overall, the Supra was in production from 1978 to 2002, but a 2020 Toyota Supra is also on the way. The Toyota Supra Mark IV refers to the fourth generation of the vehicle, which ran from 1993 to 2002. It had the internal code A80 to refer to this particular generation. The A80 began development in February 1989 and a Toyota Technical Centre Aichi concept came in 1990. At this point, it received approval and was frozen for production later in the year.
Testing of the Supra Mark IV began with A70 bodies that were hand-built in 1990, followed by hand-assembled A80 prototypes the next year. Toyota used various components from the Z30 Soarer, which you may know as the Lexus SC300/400. These included drivetrain, subframe, and suspension assemblies. The test model pre-production involved 20 units and the mass production started in April 1993.
Despite sharing the frame with the Lexus SC or Soarer Coupe, the Supra Mark IV was very different from that auto. The Supra was over 13 inches shorter and thanks to the generation’s redesign, Toyota emphasized the high performance. This led to a complete redesign for the Supra Mark IV. This included some rounded styling and new engines. The styling is modern but does have a few elements reminiscent of the 2000GT, the first grand touring sports car from Toyota.
Drivers could get 220 horsepower plus 210 pound-feet from the naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE. Or they could opt for the Toyota 2JZ-GTE with a twin-turbocharger, 276 horsepower, and 318 pound-feet. The latter figures were on the Japanese model of the Supra. Export models were upgraded to 321 horsepower and 315 pound-feet. With the turbocharger, the Supra Mark IV was able to reach 97 km/h in just 4.6 seconds, then reach 109 mph during a ¼-mile sprint that took 13.1 seconds. The top speed was tested at 177 mph (285 km/h). Despite this top speed, there was a speed limit for the vehicle. In Japan, it was 112 mph, and 155 mph around the world.
This generation of the Toyota Supra also got a gearbox of 6-speed Getrag/Toyota V160 for turbocharged models. The naturally aspirated models used a 5-speed manual that was a revised version of the transmission from the previous models. Toyota also worked to lower the weight of the Mark IV, including using aluminum for multiple components and including hollow carpet fibers, among other measures.
