1987 Toyota Supra Reviews

The Toyota GR Supra GT may have reached its ultimate form with more power and now a manual gearbox, so we tested it to find out how good it is: not just to drive but to live with daily.

A hallowed nameplate, a sports car niche under siege, and a collaboration between two storied automakers unavoidably makes for one controversial vehicle.

When Toyota teamed with BMW to build its new 2019 Supra, everyone was delighted to see a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine under the bonnet, albeit with only 250kW. Toyota has upped the ante to 285kW for the Supra’s 2021 model year update, though. So, is more actually better?

Think you could live with a Toyota Supra GT everyday in the city? We did for a week.

The Toyota Supra is perhaps one of the most important joint-venture offerings since the 86 and BRZ. This model is based on the BMW Z4, but it takes a different tack to that car, as it's a hard-top coupe not a convertible. But it shares plenty of other stuff, like the engine, transmission, body, chassis, interior and more. So is the Supra a standout? Or a bit of a cookie-cutter product?

After a long absence the Toyota Supra is back in fifth generation (A90) form.

After a long absence the Toyota Supra is back in fifth generation (A90) form.

It's been a long wait, but thanks to a joint model development program with BMW, Toyota has landed a new, fifth-generation version of the Supra sports coupe in Australia. It's bold, fast, and delivers mega bang for your bucks.

Sports car enthusiasts have been waiting for the return of the Toyota Supra, and we've finally driven a pre-production prototype version on road and track. Feels like the start of something special.

What is a grey importIt’s a vehicle – new or used — that is legally imported outside the manufacturer’s official import channels.HistoryIn the mid 90’s the various state motoring regulatory authorities and the federal government agreed that a scheme — should be put in place to allow Australians to buy used vehicles from overseas that were never sold in Australia.  The initial focus of the scheme was performance vehicles such as the Toyota Supra Twin Turbo, and Nissan Silvia Turbo. The cars became known as grey imports due to the vast number of grey-coloured cars arriving here as they were often the cheapest available in the auction houses of Japan.  The scheme now also covers any car manufactured before 1989 as well as many people movers, and various diesel models.The rulesCars brought in using the grey import scheme must go through a compliance process on arrival in Australia to conform with ADR requirements, including changing to Australian standard tyres, emissions control gear, and AC gas.Only certain models that are in some way different to any locally delivered example are allowed to be imported under the scheme.  Any other models are hard to comply as the car must go through full ADR testing including a full crash test process.  Some regulations have been relaxed in recent years – for example, the forced replacement of every seatbelt.Why buy a grey import?Most of the models available through the grey import scheme are heavily optioned compared to comparable models in Australia.  High performance turbo engines, rear wheel steering, all wheel drive, and multi-zone climate control air were all common as early as the 90s on even basic models in Japan. Basically, if you could buy a comparable model in Australia you would have paid more-for-less.  The cult status of many grey imports also makes them appealing.  The current plethora of Nissan Skylines on Australia’s roads attests to grey imports popularity.  Choice of turbodiesel powerplants has also driven the grey market when looking at 4WDs and people-movers in car yards.Owning a grey importBack in the early days of the scheme, when grey import dealers were few and far between, it was extremely difficult to acquire spare parts for many of the plenty of spare parts dealers and many manufacturers such as Nissan are able to bring in brand new parts from Japan to suit.  There are also a multitude of specialty vehicle clubs and web forums devoted to these cars with members who are only too happy to help out with parts — or even help with entire engine swaps — for a very reasonable price.The true costsMany people fall for grey imports due to the bang-for-bucks factor.  Cars such as the Nissan 180SX offer great looks and performance for a bargain basement price in comparison to say a Subaru WRX of the same year.  The trade-off comes when you look at the lack of any service history, and possibly wound back odometers.  A full mechanical check (pre-purchase) is a must!Most non-diesel grey imports coming from Japan will require premium unleaded as the quality of fuel in Japan is higher than Australia. And like any performance car they will also need love and attention in the service department too with frequent oil changes.One of the biggest turnoffs for people looking to buy a grey import is the cost of insurance.  There have been a lot of insurers who simply cannot insure them due to their underwriters refusing them. In recent years the situation has relaxed with even heavily modified performance grey imports being insured by several big name insurers.  You should expect a slightly higher premium, or excess at least, than an Australian delivered model, especially if the ‘T’ word – turbo — is added to the end of the model name…SummaryDue to the number of grey imports in the country now and the cult status they have gained no one should be turned off buying an import.  Do your research, trawl the information, get a proper inspection and you could be driving away with a unique, and extremely well-equipped car at bargain price.Top 10 grey importsNissan 180SX and Silvia variantsNissan Skyline and Nissan Stagea Wagon variantsNissan Elgrand People MoverToyota SupraToyota Hilux SurfMitsubishi FTOMitsubishi DelicaMistubishi Evo IV and VHonda Civic Type R EP3Toyota Soarer / Lexus SC400