The Development Story of the MKV Supra

[concept]

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[FuzzyRev]

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday to you as well, grandpa.

How was breakfast at Country Kitchen Buffet?

 

[razorlab]

You mean back to what you want to shout out from your frothing mouth without any debate from us? Typical boomer bs.

 

[Rensuhlo]

Has anyone in here ever owned a corvette?

 

[jtsang25]

Can this thread, OPs diff thread, and OPs 45 anni thread be combined. Doesn't need to be roasted 3 different ways.

 

[FuzzyRev]

Doesn't need to be roasted 3 different ways.

Yes, he does. I vote for a quick pan sear with olive oil, broiled for 20 minutes, then 8 hours in the Applewood smoker.

 

[Guff]

You newbies always find a way to make me feel old.

I made this video after spending quite a lot of time speaking with the engineers on the project, especially Tada-san. The old heads here will know that we were getting development updates as far back as 2016, and I documented most of the conversations I had so I could make this video.

I still don't know why so many people have such preconceived notions one way or the other. Some people want to believe BMW did it all, others want to believe that Toyota was the mastermind and BMW was just following orders. Neither are true. Companies of this scale have an extensive process to bring a product to market, and there is very distinct levels of oversight and focus depending on the practice and culture of their respective businesses.

The Supra/Z4 project was a success because the teams on both sides sacrificed a lot of their own processes to find new collaborative methods that let both parties be happy with the final car. But ask either company if they would do it again and they'd probably laugh and say "No way", but that's a video I'm not allowed to make lol.

 

[concept]

Hey, I'm only 86 but see myself as much younger....

 

[concept]

You newbies always find a way to make me feel old.

I made this video after spending quite a lot of time speaking with the engineers on the project, especially Tada-san. The old heads here will know that we were getting development updates as far back as 2016, and I documented most of the conversations I had so I could make this video.

I still don't know why so many people have such preconceived notions one way or the other. Some people want to believe BMW did it all, others want to believe that Toyota was the mastermind and BMW was just following orders. Neither are true. Companies of this scale have an extensive process to bring a product to market, and there is very distinct levels of oversight and focus depending on the practice and culture of their respective businesses.

The Supra/Z4 project was a success because the teams on both sides sacrificed a lot of their own processes to find new collaborative methods that let both parties be happy with the final car. But ask either company if they would do it again and they'd probably laugh and say "No way", but that's a video I'm not allowed to make lol.

Thanks, Guff. It is sad that a few here will instinctively reject any article, video, etc that suggests that Toyota influenced the resulting reliability of the Supra.
Personal experience often means nothing to them. I have found that my in-person discussions with much younger Supra and other sporty car owners have been great. I do appreciate all the advice I've received on this forum but sometimes a few members represent the "rough crowd" that so many stand-up comedians have endured throughout the years. Luckily, I have thick skin.

 

[PerformanceSound]

Beleive it or not, the MKV Supra was originally going to be a side-by-side development with the Lexus LC500. Chassis, Suspension, and underpinings were going to be nearly identical yet powertrain and creature comforts were up in the air and Toyota never really had a good option for the "In-house MKV." One of the head engineers even mistakenly called the LC500 a "Supra" during an online review a few years back (I posted the video in one of my previous posts). A last minute decision was made to collaborate with BMW, and the company proceeded in that direction.

The LC500 platform is really really good! Considering the amount of money invested in it's development, it should be repurposed with a beefed up V6 Twin Turbo and lighter weight.

 

[jtsang25]

Hey, I'm only 86 but see myself as much younger....

If this is actually you. This explains so much.

 

[razorlab]

If this is actually you. This explains so much.

Maybe from 30 40 years ago...

 

[Mark-in-Stoke]

I don't believe everything, but I do believe some things.

And don't believe BMW fan boys full stop

 

[Mark-in-Stoke]

bmw is ranked very highly in reliability.

And oil leaks

 

[Spart]

The LC500 platform is really really good! Considering the amount of money invested in it's development, it should be repurposed with a beefed up V6 Twin Turbo and lighter weight.

Be careful what you wish for.

A friend of mine had one for a while that I got to drive a few times. That engine is superb. The interior was 10/10.

It doesn't handle great though, and the transmission is laughably bad. It beeps at you if you try to downshift at a time it determines to be "too early" even though you'd land at 4000RPM or whatever. Like it's punishing you for attempting to drive aggressively.

They should have offered it with a manual. They also should have hired the guy who programmed the slushbox in the C7 Corvette for the automatic. With that thing, you could just hold the downshift paddle and it would continuously rev-match downshift nearly to redline to get you into the lowest possible gear. Made you sound like a pro from the outside if you were slowing down while hard on the brakes, and exactly what you would want from a slushbox on a track. And no stupid beeps. I'd still want a manual regardless, manual C7s are a riot.

The LC500 is also really heavy. It weighs about as much as a Hellcat Challenger (4340 lbs.) but it feels like there's half the room inside. I would expect a V6 "Supra" version to drop mayyyybe 300 pounds owing to less sound deadening and two less cylinders. That's still heavier than say, a Mustang GT. They've gained some weight but even the new Dark Horse is 3879 lbs. - I can't imagine a V6 LC500 holding a candle to the Dark Horse if it can't win on weight like the Zupra does.

The Lexus infotainment is also really terrible as there was no touchscreen, but I'm sure a Toyota version would have been better in that regard.

I will take our B58-powered and 1000-pounds-lighter Zupra any day over whatever V6 monstrosity would have come out of Toyota. Perhaps they came to the same conclusion. I do wish it had a Toyota manual trans though.

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