The Third Generation

The MK3 Supra debuted in 1986, with all new styling, all new engines, and the availability of turbo power in the US market for the first time. It was more powerful, faster, heavier, and better equipped- more of a powerful GT than a true sports car. Still, it suited the market perfectly and sales continued to go up.

Under the hood was the latest evolution of the Toyota M block, which was about to run the course of it’s useful life - it was under the hood of the original Albrecht Goertz-styled 2000GT from 1967. Now designated 7M-GE, it displaced a full 3.0L and used a 24-valve head with dual overhead camshafts. Power jumped from 161 in the old 5M-GE to a nice, even 200 in the new model. This turbine-smooth powerplant gave the Supra the kind of continent-crushing mid-range power it really needed; 0-60 was dispatched in 7.1 seconds and the Supra could top out at 137 - world class performance for 1986.

1987 saw the introduction (in the US) of the first legalized Supra Turbo; thus the legend was born. The 7M-GE became the 7M-GTE, utilizing a Toyota CT26 turbocharger and an air-to-air intercooler. Power jumped to 232, torque from 187 to 254 lb-ft. with a five speed, the Supra Turbo hustled to 60mph in only 6.2 seconds, and could see north of 140mph top out - comparable to the Corvette, 300ZX Turbo, and RX7 Turbo of the day.

The Mk3 Supra had more derivatives than the earlier Supras, as Toyota got into their technological stride in the late 80’s. The first was the Supra Turbo-A, which was a limited-production homologation model built in small numbers in late 1987. Built to legalize the Supra for Group A racing, the Turbo-A featured a tweaked 7M-GTE with a different turbo (CT-26b) making 267bhp, reduced weight, and extra cooling. Due to restrictions on cars over 3.0L of dispalecement, the Turbo-A had limited success in Group A racing, but it made for a storming street car.

The choicest of the Supras was a home-market only model called the 2.5 Twin-Turbo R. Midway through production of the MKIII, Toyota introduced their brand-new Inline 6 - the JZ series. Offered in 2.0L, 2.5L, and 3.0L displacement, the MK3 in Japan received the 2.5L 1JZ motor. This iron-block motor featured advanced sequential turbocharging - one small turbo and one larger turbo operated in sequence. The advantage to this is a much smoother powerband than just one large turbo - the small one spools quickly at low RPMS, then transfers boost over to the other at higher RPMS, delivering massive wads of linear power all over the power band.

The 2.5 Twin Turbo-R was the ultimate version of this Supra, featuring the 280bhp 1JZ-GTE, a Torsen LSD, additional chassis bracing (as well as a stronger mount for the differential), Recaro seats, Bilstein suspension and a bunch of other goodies. As the lightest and most powerful MK3 Supra, the Twin-Turbo R could run a 14 second quarter mile and 0-60 in the mid-fives - wicked quick.