The Toyota Supra is on its way to retirement once again. The latest A80 model shares underpinnings with the BMW Z4. Since the German model is ending production, its Japanese counterpart is going away, too. The company celebrates the end of the latest generation with the more capable Final Edition variant.
Meanwhile, the talented team at Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division has just completed a full restoration of an A70 Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo with a removable roof panel from the 1980s. The crew used some of Gazoo’s available heritage parts to do the job. The 2.5-liter twin-turbo was never available in the United States. Instead, Americans got 3.0-liter inline-six with a single turbo, making 230 horsepower or 232 hp, depending on the model year.
Long-Term Work
The Toyota crew got rolling on this project in October 2024 when the team took delivery of the Supra in need of restoration. The car looked great at first, but the teardown revealed previous damage with Bondo repairs, and there was a rust hole in the spare wheel carrier in the trunk. The crew wanted to bring it back to its original showroom condition.
The restoration work involved removing some of the body panels, in addition to the engine and transmission, to make them as good as new. The front and rear suspension sub-members also came off and received restoration. The team found a tiny hole in the fuel tank in need of repair, too. Replacing the suspension bushings also helped make the ride firmer and closer to the original setup.
The clip also shows the engine start in April 2025 after nearly a year of work. The powerplant roars to life and sounds like a car rolling fresh off a dealer’s lot. Unfortunately, the fate of this car in the future isn’t clear, but we hope it gets some exercise on the road.
What Is A Supra 2.5GT?
The A70 Toyota Supra had a production run lasting from 1986 through 1993 in Japan, and the 2.5GT Twin Turbo was the range-topping model there. It used the 1JZ-GTE engine, which was the predecessor to the famous 2JZ-GTE available in the A80 Supra from the 1990s. Toyota never offered this powertrain in the United States. These vehicles also featured an early traction control system.
Toyota Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo Specs
|
Engine |
1JZ-GTE Twin-Turbocharged 2.5-Liter Inline-Six With Dual Overhead Camshafts |
|
Horsepower |
276 HP |
|
Torque |
268 LB-FT |
|
Transmission |
5-Speed Manual Or Four-Speed Automatic |
TopSpeed’s Take
Many modern enthusiasts forget about the Japanese grand tourers from the 1980s. There’s no doubt that the Z32 Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo and A80 Supra are cool, but they only exist because of their sophisticated forebears.
We hope the owner of this freshly restored A70 Supra uses it as intended. It’s a perfect vehicle for taking a comfy roadtrip across Japan and maybe even enjoying a few of the country’s amazing mountain roads. Style, pace, and grace defined European grand touring cars from the 1960s, and this model continued that legacy for the Japanese market.
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