Skip advert
Advertisement

New 2018 Toyota Supra spied testing around Nurburgring

Heavily camouflaged car is the new Toyota Supra that shares a platform with the new BMW Z4

Toyota is getting ready to re-launch its iconic Supra nameplate to sit on the tailgate of an all-new sports car. Expected to arrive in 2018, the new flagship Supra will share a platform with the upcoming BMW Z4. We’ve spotted the car testing on the Nurburgring in heavy camouflage.

Even decked out in a camo wrap, the overall shape of the Supra is impossible to hide – long and low, with a classic sports car silhouette in the same vein as the Toyota FT-1 concept seen previously. It also shows off a ducktail spoiler on the boot lid.

It will sit above the GT86 in Toyota’s sporting lineup, but is unlikely to share much with that car. Instead, the Supra will make use of BMW’s technology. As evo exclusively reported in March, the two Toyota sports cars will also be joined by a new Toyota MR2.

Advertisement - Article continues below

> Toyota FT-1 concept

Sources report that the Supra will use a hybrid powertrain, consisting of a BMW petrol engine mated to electric motors. Those motors would reportedly store their energy in supercapacitors rather than batteries, however – giving the Supra a link to Toyota’s hybrid Le Mans efforts. A petrol-only model hasn’t been ruled out, and could use one of BMW’s straight-six engines.

Use of a hybrid powertrain would suggest that the new Supra will be automatic-only – a blow to enthusiasts. That’s not to say a manual transmission is entirely out of the question (Honda’s CR-Z, for example, championed the manual hybrid sports car) – but a spy shot of the car’s interior showed a BMW-style automatic shifter on the centre console.

The interior shot also confirmed a large amount of BMW tech for the Supra’s cabin. Although heavily disguised, a large iDrive controller and screen is easily visible.

The new Toyota Supra is set to arrive in 2018, shortly after BMW launches its Z4 sibling. Will the Toyota-BMW partnership (named the Silk Road Project because of its East-meets-West approach) bear fruit? It’s not the first time the brands have worked together, having shared diesel engine tech across the Toyota, BMW and MINI brands for several years as well as collaborating on hydrogen fuel cell tech. We look forward to seeing if the Silk Road Project can produce a convincing successor to the iconic Supra.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype
Toyota GR supercar
News

This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype

A new Toyota halo model has been spied testing in recent years, and now we've had a closer look at Goodwood Festival of Speed
14 Jul 2025
The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6
Toyota Supra
Opinion

The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6

In a parallel universe, one particularly shrewd brand partnership reigns supreme
22 May 2025
Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon
Toyota Celica GT-Four
Reviews

Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon

The GT-Four was a staple of the World Rally Championship and won several of driver’s and manufacturer’s crowns, yet it’s a rare sight today
22 Feb 2025
Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1
Toyota motorsport museum
Features

Exploring Toyota's greatest motorsport icons, from WRC to Formula 1

Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HQ, of course…
26 Dec 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mercedes-AMG GT 43 2025 review – £100k four-cylinder lacks Affalterbach soul
Mercedes-AMG GT 43
Reviews

Mercedes-AMG GT 43 2025 review – £100k four-cylinder lacks Affalterbach soul

Affalterbach’s flagship GT range now begins with a four-cylinder, lifted straight from the A45 hot hatch. It might have reasonable performance on tap,…
15 Sep 2025
The man in charge of the Porsche 911 on the future of the world’s most iconic sports car
Porsche 911 Carrera T – side
News

The man in charge of the Porsche 911 on the future of the world’s most iconic sports car

We sat down with Porsche 911 model line director Michael Rösler to talk the future of the 911, from hybrids to manuals, to special models
16 Sep 2025
Mini Cooper and Cooper S (2001 - 2006) review – the 'new' Mini is now a classic
Mini Cooper S
Reviews

Mini Cooper and Cooper S (2001 - 2006) review – the 'new' Mini is now a classic

The ‘new’ Mini was perhaps motoring’s most anticipated sequel. BMW didn’t get it wrong – quite the opposite, as it transpired
11 Sep 2025