Fox News Autos Test Drive: 2021 Toyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is back for the first time in over two decades, but it's a very different car than the one you remember, says Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu.
It's the super Supra.
Toyota will run a GR Supra-bodied car in the 2022 NHRA Funny Car series. (Toyota)
Toyota is changing its NHRA Funny Car entries from Camry to GR Supra bodies in 2022.
Kalitta Motorsports driver and 2018 series champion J.R. Todd assisted in the development of the new car and will return with the team to drive it next year.
The Funny Car draws its inspiration from the production GR Supra. (Toyota)
"It’s been a really unique experience getting to work with the engineers at TRD on the new GR Supra Funny Car," Todd said in a press release on the new model.
"To be a part of the work to try to make these cars as safe as possible for us as drivers means a lot to me. We all worked together on some of the issues we’ve faced for some time including visibility.
J.R. Todd and Kalitta Motorsports have run a Toyota Camry in recent years. (Jeff Speer/LVMS via Icon Sportswire)
Toyota has been running the Camry body since 2012, but has been transitioning many of its motorsports team to the GR Supra brand to help promote the sports car, which returned to the lineup for the 2020 model year.
Aside from the name and resemblance, the drag racer shares little with the production car, which is powered by a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines designed by BMW.
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Instead, it uses a purpose-built supercharged 8.2-liter V8 that sends about 11,000 hp to its giant rear tires to accelerate it to over 330 mph in under four seconds over a distance of just 1,000 feet.