It seems Toyota really does enjoy trying our patience. Or at any rate, it gives with one hand, and takes away with another. No sooner did it acknowledge that we’re getting some additional volume in the UK (huzzah!) than it announced that Gazoo Racing will deliver special edition models to the rest of the world that we’ll almost certainly never see. And that includes a GR86 Trueno Edition that we’ve immediately fallen in love with.
As you'd expect, the limited edition model harks back to the AE86, the twin-cam-powered, rear-drive belter that became a legend thanks to its dual preference for 7,500rpm and controlled oversteer. While the eighties liftback was all about straight edges from a styling point of view, it isn’t hard to see why Toyota considers the GR86 something of a spiritual successor - hence the black-wrapped hood, the black Trueno Edition graphic, and (yes) the black painted duckbill spoiler. Even the black metallic 10-spoke wheels are unique to the special edition.
And in case someone doesn’t get the two-tone reference from that little lot, there’s a Trueno Edition badge front and back. There are additional badges inside, although you probably won’t notice them because Toyota has opted to trim the sport seats in ‘attention-grabbing red leather’ with stitching elsewhere to match. It’s all rather lovely - and limited to ‘only’ 860 units for the US market.
If that weren’t enough to have you rolling your eyes in frustration, the firm has also announced a GR86 Performance Package that will be standard fit on the Trueno, but also available to spec as an add-on elsewhere in the range. This delivers no more power, although it does buy you uprated ZF Sachs dampers and Brembo brakes, both tuned by Gazoo with, ‘the aim of maximizing handling, ride comfort, and brake system consistency.’ Deep sigh.
Still, Toyota has completely forgotten about the Old World. In recognition of the Supra’s presence in motorsport - specifically reaching 100 production units of the GT4 version it launched back in 2020 - it will introduce a new GR Supra ‘GT4 100th Edition Tribute’ in Europe.
Sure, it’s not quite as cool as the Trueno Edition, but it does come in an exclusive shade of Plasma Orange and because it’s based on the reworked 340hp manual derivative, there’s no question you’re getting the best version of the Supra. And it’ll be exclusive, too - inevitably just 100 units will be built. Is it the special edition we want? No. But we just have to accept that Toyota moves in mysterious ways these days.
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