10 Of The Best Toyota Sports Cars Ever Made – CarBuzz

Famously known for producing affordable, reliable cars for ordinary people, Toyota has also built multiple sports cars, aiming to provide an accessible point to fun, enjoyable cars enthusiasts can easily buy. Many of these sports cars by Toyota have become significant car culture icons, remaining desirable and sought after in the collector car market, or reincarnated into modern-era sports cars to interest today’s current crop of car enthusiasts.

In this feature, we list ten of the best Toyota sports car models the brand has made – both past and present.

Toyota

Toyota is a Japanese automaker founded in 1937 that has developed a reputation for reliability across a multitude of segments, from sports cars and family sedans to pickup trucks and off-roaders. Famous models from the brand include the Hilux, Land Cruiser, Camry, Crown, and Corolla, the latter being the world’s best-selling vehicle nameplate, with more than 50 million Corolla-badged vehicles being sold since it was first introduced. Toyota typically competes in the mainstream market, but is also famous for launching Lexus as a luxury sub-brand to take on Mercedes-Benz.

Founded

August 28, 1937

Founder

Kiichiro Toyoda

Headquarters

Aichi, Japan

Owned By

Publicly Traded

Current CEO

Koji Sato

1 Toyota GR Supra (A90)

Starting this list is the Toyota Supra you can buy today. The Toyota GR Supra continues the iconic sports car nameplate, now on a platform shared with BMW. As well as the same engines and ZF-sourced transmissions (manual and automatic) that can also be found in other BMW products, the fifth-generation Supra makes itself distinct from its BMW twin, the Z4. The Supra has its own unique sloping coupe body, front and rear sections, as well as suspension/chassis settings that aim to make the GR Supra more focused on driving thrills and decent track performance.

Toyota’s GR division may have only been around for a few years, but has quickly become vested in engineering and designing many of Toyota’s sports car models in the present day. The GR Supra serves as the first of many entries in its product portfolio to demonstrate that Toyota can still make cars that can excite behind the wheel.

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2 Toyota Celica GT-Four

Based on the third-generation Toyota Celica, the Celica GT-Four (ST205) was designed to homologate Toyota’s Celica sports car for the FIA’s Group A rally class – aiming to rival the likes of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and Lancia Delta Integrale.

Compared to a standard Celica, the GT-Four featured a 2.0L turbocharged 3S-GTE four-cylinder engine mated to an upgraded five-speed manual transmission. Exterior modifications included a bigger rear spoiler, specially designed alloy wheels, and wider exterior fender arches. The Celica GT-Four also benefited from lateral g-sensors in its upgraded brakes, allowing more individual brake distribution between the wheels, for efficient cornering. In addition to its stardom on the rally circuit, the Celica GT-Four became a star in various forms of automotive media – it was one of the starts in the Sega Rally Championship.

Approximately 2500 examples were made globally, between its production run from 1994 to 1999. It’s one of the best sports cars by Toyota.

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3 Toyota 86 (ZN6)

The next car on our list is the first-generation 86, known as the GT86 in Europe. The spiritual successor to the AE86, the 86 aimed to replicate its same formula and principles for the modern day: an affordable, lightweight rear-wheel drive sports coupe. The 86 was built in collaboration with another Japanese manufacturer, Subaru, who supplied the flat-four ‘BOXER’ engine that powered all versions of the 86.

Combined with its widespread community following for the model, the aftermarket potential was just as large, with many brands and companies offering unlimited choices for GT86 owners to personalize, enhance, and make their car perform better and look the part. The 86 initially arrived in the US market as the Scion FR-S; following the retirement of the Scion brand, the coupe joined the main Toyota model range, simply renamed the ‘86’. The 86 would be succeeded by the GR86 – an even more sporty Toyota car – which continued the same tried-and-tested formula as before.

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4 Toyota Yaris GRMN

Before the current Toyota GR Yaris made its debut, Toyota experimented with applying sports car performance to a seemingly sedate Yaris hatchback. Sold primarily in European and Japanese markets, the Yaris GRMN (meaning Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nurburgring) was based on the third-generation Yaris/Vitz hatchback that followed a similar approach to its rally-bred GR Yaris sibling. Two versions of the Yaris GRMN were made featuring enhanced powertrains – either a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder (2013-2017) made initially for Japan, or a 1.8L supercharged four-cylinder (tuned by Lotus, and shared with Series 3 Lotus Elise models) that was sold in both Japan and Europe. A manual transmission was the sole option for the Yaris GRMN, which sent its power to the front wheels.

If you want a Toyota pocket rocket that carries a bit more exclusivity and rarity value, the Yaris GRMN is a relatively under-the-radar, but exciting prospective model to consider.

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5 Toyota MR2 (W20)

The Toyota MR2 is Toyota’s answer to a mid-engined (aka midship) sports car. It has all the handling qualities and balanced chassis of a mid-engined setup, with unmatched Japanese reliability and at a highly accessible price point. The W20 was the second generation of the MR2, improving upon the preceding previous model with a rounder body, more power, and even sharper handling. For the US market, either a 2.2L naturally-aspirated or 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine could be chosen. The W20 MR2 was also infamous among JDM circles for several reasons, from early models being unforgiving to handle in the control of inexperienced drivers, to a certain blue example in Initial D (a Japanese street racing manga series), tackling the mountain passes of Japan in a rather flamboyant manner by flying in the midsection of a hairpin turn.

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6 Toyota GR Yaris

All-wheel drive, a manual transmission, and a powerful three-cylinder turbocharged engine in an equally compact body, the Toyota GR Yaris has been a hit with everyone, from hot hatch fans to tuning companies and rally drivers. The GR Yaris was designed from the ground up to homologate the Yaris hatchback for the WRC (World Rally Championship) and, unlike other Toyota GR sports car models, like the Supra and GR86, was designed entirely by Toyota from scratch – without any joint ventures with other brands.

From its all-wheel-drive chassis that has been praised as being eager to push through corners on any terrain, to its engaging driving position that offers plenty of conventional driver input with minimal technological aids, the GR Yaris has proven to be a widely successful sports car in Toyota’s current lineup. The GR Yaris may not be available in the US market, but an equally-capable alternative, the GR Corolla, offers a comparable experience, including the potent turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

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7 Toyota GR86

Building upon the success and cult following the Toyota 86 cultivated, Toyota delivered another exciting sports car model for the modern enthusiast. The Toyota GR86 arrived to further improve on the qualities and features that made the 86 a popular platform. The sole powertrain continues to be a flat-four engine developed by Subaru, now grown in size to 2.4L and adjusted to deliver its power more consistently across the rev range – as one of many ways to resolve complaints that the preceding 86 felt underpowered.

This new Toyota sports car is part of a dying breed of cars that can still be selected with a desirable six-speed manual transmission for purists at heart, another key criterion that gives it sports car qualities. Along with a diverse range of aftermarket support to improve its appearance, drivetrain, and power delivery, just as its predecessors cultivated, the GR86 is an excellent candidate for an entry-level driver’s car.

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8 Toyota 2000GT

Serving as one of Japan’s first ‘supercars’ and one of the first collectible classic cars to emerge from the country, the 2000GT combined the eye-catching designs of postwar European GT cars such as the Jaguar E-Type and Ferrari Daytona, with the build quality and attention to detail of a Toyota product. Developed in conjunction with Yamaha, the 2000GT redefined worldwide perception towards Japanese cars – proving Japanese automakers could make cars that serve more than just as appliances, but with desirability factor and sporting pedigree.

In addition to being one of the fastest cars of its era, it gained further celebrity status thanks to an appearance in the James Bond film, ‘You Only Live Twice’ – serving as the British spy’s choice of car during scenes that took place in Japan. Notably, Toyota specially converted two examples used by the production into open-top convertibles to accommodate then-Bond actor, Sean Connery and his rather tall figure. Even today, its classic shape continues to draw admirers globally – and consistently remains one of the most expensive cars to sell at auction.

9 Toyota Corolla AE86

Also referred to as ‘Hachi Roku’, or Eight-Six in Japanese, the Toyota Corolla AE86 is one of the most iconic Toyota sports car models that has become a legend in its own right. The AE86 may not have been the most powerful Toyota sports car then, but its lightweight body, front engine/rear-wheel-drive setup, and 50:50 weight distribution allowed it to make up for its lack of power in corners.

The AE86’s status and popularity grew significantly when a black and white AE86 ‘Trueno’ served as the hero car of the Japanese manga and anime series Initial D, being used as the protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara’s choice of car to alternate between delivering tofu to racing against rivals on Japan’s many mountain passes. Professional drifters, track racers, and rally drivers also further popularized the AE86 as a capable platform to outperform competition in their respective racing disciplines.

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10 Toyota Supra (A80)

With its robust 2JZ inline-six-cylinder engine, iconic rear taillight design, and distinctive body shape, the Toyota A80-generation Supra—arguably the most iconic model that put Toyota sports cars on the map—is one of the best sports cars Toyota has made in its entire history. The A80-generation Supra, alongside other similar legendary JDM sports cars like Nissan’s Skyline GT-R and Mazda’s RX-7, has cultivated an entire generation of car enthusiasts and fans since their debut.

For the US market, the Supra was available with Toyota’s signature 3.0L inline-six cylinder ‘2JZ’ engine, either in naturally-aspirated form or with twin turbochargers onboard. Not only was the A80-generation Supra a tuning favorite, especially among famous Japanese tuning brands/shops that could push out enormous horsepower numbers from its powertrain, but the Supra was one of the most influential cars that gave rise to the ‘JDM’ car scene and cult following that continues to this day.

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Sources:
Toyota USA
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Toyota Europe
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Gazoo Racing