Toyota Supra Turbo '87
When the third-generation Toyota Supra made its debut, it came with a lot of firsts for the model. The most important was Toyota’s decision to finally develop the Supra as its own stand-alone sports car, free from any tie-ups between the Celica. It was a risk that Toyota took because the Supra had become so successful that it finally needed to stand on its own four wheels and shine. In addition to that, the third generation was also the first time that Supra didn’t come in the full-on fastback look that the first two generations did. While still retaining some of the basic design, the third-gen Supra’s length was cut by 1.6 inches but was wider by an inch, making for a stouter appearance than its elongated predecessors.
An oft-overlooked fact about the third-generation Supra is that Toyota initially slated it for release in the early 1986 model year, but production delays pushed it back to May 1986. This meant that there were actually two wholly different Supras available in the same model year, so the MK III Supra used the 1986.5 model year designation for clarity.
It was with the third-generation model that the world finally started to recognize the Supra was one of Toyota’s best works. The version lasted for a little over five years, quickly becoming one of the most sought-after Japanese sports cars in the market at that time.
The third-generation Supra made its debut midway through the 1986 model year and was largely seen as the first big evolution of the model. Gone was its association with the Celica, leaving the Supra to essentially carry its own weight. As it turned out, the model had little problem doing that, establishing itself as one of the most important sports cars Toyota had built to date.
As far as its design goes, the third-gen Supra came with a redesigned body that was far more in tune with what enthusiasts thought a sports coupe should look like. The retractable headlights remained the crown jewel of the front end and for the first time in the Supra’s history, the model finally received the sport-roof panel — what is now know as the Supra’s famous targa roof.
The third-gen Supra was the first time Toyota really made it a mission to provide a more premium look and feel to the cabin of the sports car. Standard features like automatic climate control, tilt and telescoping wheel, cruise control, power windows, mirrors and door locks, and a top-level audio system were still included.
A 3.0-liter, inline-six engine became standard for the third-generation Toyota Supra. With the new engine in tow, the Supra finally was able to produce 200 horsepower and 196 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately, the output numbers of the third-gen Supra remained unchanged throughout its life — the new Turbo model in later years was the exception — a stark difference from the first two generations when it seemed that every year, Toyota was finding ways to squeeze more power from the engine.
The engine came mated to the W58 five-speed manual transmission and had the A340D automatic available as an option. Both transmissions delivered power to the rear wheels. The base Supra hit 100 km/h in between seven and eight seconds.
In 1987, the Supra made an even bigger mark on the industry when Toyota released the new, 3.0-liter, turbocharged six-cylinder. This engine injected 230 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque into the Supra Turbo. The turbo model used the R154 five-speed manual gearbox, which had higher first and fifth gear ratios than the W58 transmission, but lower second and third gear ratios.
