Toyota Is Making A GR Supra With A Targa Top

The physical SEMA show may not be taking place this year, but its ‘360’ online substitute will ensure plenty of mad modified cars are showcased by OEMs. Toyota is one such manufacturer to step up to the plate, but we’re more interested in what they haven’t revealed just yet.

Along with an eclectic mix of tuned cars (we’ll get to those later), the Japanese manufacturer’s US arm has released the first episode in a build series for a very special GR Supra. One with a Targa roof. Oh yes.

An iconic feature available on the A80 Supra and later versions of the A70, it’s about time Toyota has done this. All we’ve seen of the ‘Sport Top’ project thus far is a sketch on a computer screen, but it’s looking promising.

The roof’s latches will release electronically via a remote, and the assembly will come away in two pieces, allowing for easy boot storage. Some under-body stiffening will be necessary to compensate for the lost rigidity, and just to make it stand out even more, it’ll be given a full aero kit including the A80-inspired rear wing from the Supra Heritage.

Given that the GR Supra’s BMW Z4 cousin is quite happy existing as a convertible, the platform is clearly capable of doing without a fixed roof in a production setting. So might Toyota put something like this into production? It seems possible, if unlikely. Hopefully reception to the Sport Top will be positive enough to sway the company’s bean counters.

If you’re feeling impatient, Toyota does have three other special Supras ready to shout about. Above you’ll see the Ornamental Conifer Supra, which features bodywork hand-painted by British artist Nicolai Sclater. Papadakis Racing’s 1000bhp Supra - the daily driver of a certain Fredric Aasbo - also appears on the virtual stand, along with another wildly modified ‘A90’ from Ken Gushi Motorsports and GReddy Performance (below). Both are built for the Formula Drift series.

Finally, there’s an Overland-Ready Tacoma from 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine, created with help from Ryan O’Connell and ShmellFab. Along with beefed-up suspension, underbody protection and BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain to help it on the rough stuff, it’s been given all sorts of adventure-spec goodies. There’s an on-board air compression, extra fuel storage, a water storage unit and a load bed tent.

Countering all the extra weight that clobber will add, the Tacoma’s 3.5-litre V6 has been given a Magnuson supercharger to lift the power to 370bhp. Oh, and it says ‘TACOMA’ on the side in big letters, just in case people don’t know what it is.

SEMA360 is underway now, and will run until 6 November.