Toyota in October announced that its reborn Supra would debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and that the first retail example would be auctioned off for charity.
The automaker on Thursday provided more details on the sale of the first retail example and dropped a teaser shot showing the new Supra’s side mirror cap. The first photo showing an undisguised version of the new Supra surfaced just a day earlier.
The new Supra is due on sale next summer as a 2020 model. However, the first retail example will cross the block at Barrett-Jackson’s annual auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Saturday, January 19, 2019. All proceeds from the sale will be shared by the American Heart Association and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
The first car will feature a few special touches highlighting its significance, including a VIN ending in 20201. The car will also have a matte gray exterior, matte black wheels, red side mirror caps, a red leather interior, and a carbon fiber dash plaque indicating the car’s status as the first 2020 Supra.
2020 Toyota Supra prototype
As previously reported, the new Supra represents the fifth generation of the nameplate. This time, though, the car has been developed on the same platform found in BMW’s latest Z4. The Supra will also share powertrains and a production site in Austria with the Z4, but it won’t get the BMW’s convertible roof.
The core powertrain will be BMW’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6, which in the Supra should be rated around 335 horsepower, or enough to see the car sprint to 60 mph in under 5.0 seconds. A Toyota-developed hybrid powertrain with more power is expected later in the life cycle, possibly in a track-focused model. A 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4, also borrowed from BMW, is also expected, bringing with it around 260 hp.
As mentioned, the new Supra will make its debut at the 2019 Detroit auto show, which starts January 14. In the days leading up to the show, Toyota will also preview its Supra-based race car being developed for Japan’s Super GT touring car series. The preview will come in the form of a concept at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon.
