Toyota Ushering In A New Sports Car Era

Introduction

During SEMA, Toyota showed off its talents with a GR86 paying homage to the Celica GT-4 Rally Car. This move excited car enthusiasts everywhere as it showed Toyota’s love for its past accomplishments. Today, Toyota has one of the best driver-centric car lineups available in the attainable car market. But it wasn’t always that way. In the last ten years, we have seen this manufacturer strive towards its previous status as an enthusiast car brand. Fortunately, the rumor mill is showing the lineup will only grow. I am absolutely ecstatic to share the exciting news of Toyota’s revival of some of their greatest sports cars, namely the MR-2 and the Celica.

Toyota’s Sports Car Legacy

Racing pedigree and Toyota go hand-in-hand. From rally dominance with the GT-4, to canyon carving sport cars like the MR-2, Toyota has something for every enthusiast. Since the removal of cars such as the Supra, MR-2, and Celica, Toyota was synonymous with boring economy cars. My high school was filled with Corollas and Camrys, which did very little to inspire car enthusiasts. While they were reliable and could get you from point A to B, there wasn’t anything that drove me to want a Toyota. However, as a young enthusiast I knew what Toyota was capable of.

Growing up watching Initial D and other racing media, I knew cars such as the AE86 or the Supra were excellent automobiles. One of my personal favorite JDM sports cars is the MK3 Supra. I knew they could make a great sports car. This was reinforced further when the FR-S/BRZ released during my senior year of high school. Today, we now have a resurgence of sports cars available to enthusiasts worldwide thanks to the current engineers.

A Sports Car Lineup Restored

Since the release of the GR Supra, Yaris, and Corolla, automotive media is eating up Toyota’s lineup. Their sports car lineup is producing impressive numbers, selling well, and maintaining the relationship between manufacturer and enthusiast. I am happy to report the lineup now has a new Celica confirmed with heavy rumors of a MR-2 well on the way. With the return of these cars, you will literally have an enthusiast car at attainable prices. Something we have not seen for awhile. But what does this mean for the car market?

Are Other Manufacturers In Trouble?

With companies like Honda teasing the Prelude and bringing back the Integra, it seems like the competition is heating up. Personally, I would love to see this ignite a modern JDM hero build-off like the 90’s. Who wouldn’t love to see some of our most beloved cars go head-to-head on the track and the market again? This would only benefit the enthusiast because we would get quality sports cars in a world bent on numbing the driving experience with automation and electronic nannies. To the other manufacturers, if you don’t keep up Toyota will bury you in this market. Keep it up Toyota, we cannot wait to see these cars come to life.

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