Who created the Toyota Supra?
The Toyota Supra is a model created by Toyota Motor Corporation, originally developed as a higher-performance variant of the Celica. The 2019 revival was developed in collaboration with BMW.
In this article, we trace the Supra’s origins—from its Celica-based beginnings to the modern, jointly developed generation—and explain how the term "creator" applies to both Toyota’s in-house engineering teams and the international partnership that produced today’s GR Supra.
Origins and Generations
Below is a concise timeline of the Supra’s generations and how Toyota managed the project across eras.
- Celica Supra (A20; 1978–1981) — The first Supra, launched as a higher-performance variant of the Celica, developed by Toyota's in-house engineering and design teams.
- Supra (A60; 1981–1986) — A redesigned, more refined version that continued the in-house development tradition, with the Supra badge becoming more distinct in some markets.
- Supra (A70; 1986–1992) — The third generation, popular for its turbocharged variants and improved performance, still conceived and built by Toyota's own engineers.
- Supra (A80, Mark IV; 1993–1998) — The fourth generation, known for the iconic 2JZ-GTE engine and its enduring performance reputation, created by Toyota's engineering team.
- Supra (A90; 2019–present) — Fifth generation, introduced as the GR Supra, developed in partnership with BMW and marketed under Toyota's Gazoo Racing division.
These early generations established the Supra as Toyota's performance-focused member of the Celica family, built by Toyota's own specialists and engineers.
The Modern Revival and BMW Collaboration
The 2019 revival reframed the Supra as a joint engineering project between Toyota and BMW, aimed at combining Toyota's driving dynamics with BMW's powertrain and platform expertise.
Key milestones in this collaboration include the reveal of the GR Supra under Toyota's Gazoo Racing brand, the introduction of a BMW-sourced inline-six engine, and a later expansion to include a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four option for different markets.
- 2019 – Toyota and BMW announce a joint development program for a new sports coupe, leading to the GR Supra launch under Toyota's Gazoo Racing badge.
- 2020–2021 – The GR Supra debuts with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six (BMW), producing around 335 horsepower in most markets, with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder variant added later in some regions.
- 2022–present – Incremental updates and special editions; continued collaboration across engineering, with Toyota aligning the car's performance identity to its broader GR lineup.
Through this modern collaboration, the Supra's creation became a transnational effort, blending Toyota's engineering culture with BMW's powertrain and platform capabilities.
Summary
In essence, the Toyota Supra was created by Toyota Motor Corporation’s own engineering and design teams, rooted in the Celica lineage. The current generation, however, is the result of a cross-border collaboration with BMW, illustrating how large-scale sports-car projects now often involve multinational partnerships while preserving a distinct Toyota performance identity.
