Last week I gave you a first look at the Supra Owners Club 2021 meet held in the Fuji Speedway paddock, concentrating on the A80 and older cars in attendance. Now it’s time to kick the coverage up a notch, with the A90 Supras and everything else that turned up on this very wet Sunday.
By the end of this post, I think you will have understood the need to split this into two parts.
Despite the A90 Supra having hit the market over two years ago here in Japan, I just never see that many examples out on the roads. They’re not all that cheap, and the lack of practicality with the move to a 2-seater layout has ruled it out for some I assume.
That said, this event had a solid turn out of the newest generation cars.
And that goes for the GR Yaris too. It’s hard to say whether there were more of these than Supras, but numbers-wise it surely would have been close.
But wait, the Supra Owners Club meeting also opened its doors to the 86.
And why shouldn’t it have? I mean, if this wasn’t an obvious celebration of Toyota as a sports car manufacturer, I don’t know what would be. And fair play too, because right now in Japan, the sports car offering from other domestic manufacturers has gone a tad stagnant.
Toyota, however, has kept up its part in the grand scheme of things, and is currently offering three sports models, two of which are on the affordable side of the spectrum. That’s pretty cool.
The Tuners
I really feel like I’ve been hidden away in a cave for the last 18 months, and a lot of that has had to do with a lack of shows and events, which has made it very hard to see what companies are doing with these new cars. Yes, you can see them on social media, but viewing them in person is a whole different experience.
The top pick of demo cars at the meet for me would have been this KW-equipped GR Yaris from Hashimoto Corporation. With most of my cars on KW suspension, I can only imagine how a serious coilover package would further enhance the highly capable Toyota hatchback. Maybe I should borrow this one for a test drive?
It’s cool to see more and more cars fitted up with RAYS Volk Racing 21Cs. What do you guys think about these deep-dish forged wheels?
HKS are continuing their R&D on both the Yaris and A90 platforms, and continue to offer a full array of goodies to have these cars performing their best.
Aside from the iconic Advan livery, which pretty much looks good on any car, this Yokohama GR Yaris sports a full Pandem conversion, making the little Toyota look like it’s ready to take on a WRC stage.
I really like what both Kansai Service and Fujitsubo have done with their respective GR Yaris demo cars.
It seems like many JDM exhaust makers have taken the Akrapovič approach and are finishing their tips with carbon fiber shrouds. You’ll be glad to hear that along with this refined look, the sound is on point too, providing the GR Yaris’s three-cylinder engine with a deeper tone.
The A90 front conversion will never make a Lexus SC look anything other than a Lexus RC; its profile with the hardtop convertible roof is something you can spot a mile away.
However, the student team at NATS who built this Fast & Furious-themed car gave it some additional impact by retrofitting a 2JZ, complete with big single Trust/GReddy T88 turbo.
The guys from Kuhl, who are famous for their intricately-painted wide-body R35s on air, have now turned some of their attention to the A90 platform. A basic aero upgrade and air ride is enough to visually transform the Supra, but I bet they are going all-out for their TAS 2022 build.
My favorite A90? That’s easy, it’s this race-ready GT4 variant from Gazoo Racing.
With this car you get 430hp and 650Nm, not to mention a full race-prepped chassis, all straight out of the box. I’m surprised that no one in Japan has attempted to register one for street use.
The Best Of The Rest
In between the downpours, I spent a lot of time at this event pacing up and down, across, and back again through all the parked cars. This itasha-styled GR Yaris on Fifteen52 Tarmac wheels and a Pandem kit looks like a strange cross between something you would see in Akihabara on any given night and a rallycross car.
To say that the GR Yaris has been a massive hit is an understatement. I see so many of these things on the street – way more than A90 Supras -and I think that was backed up by the rows upon rows of them here.
My favorite exhaust setup for the Yaris is this though. It comes courtesy of TOM’S, and has a center-exit design that works with a new lower bumper/diffuser section. So clean.
For me, the most curious-looking Yaris was this one. Why? Because it’s rolling on stock 17-inch BCNR33 Nissan Skyline GT-R wheels, from BBS Japan. I really like this look – who’s with me?
I also spotted another over-fendered Yaris, although I’m not sure who makes this particular kit.
The 86 (and its Subaru BRZ twin) had a strong showing on the day too.
Looking through the cars that had rolled in by the middle of the morning, I finally spotted the new face-lifted version, albeit in Subaru guise.
I have to say, this thing looks better in person than the simple redesign it appears to be on paper. The front end treatment especially, not to mention the fender vents, give it a ton more presence. I really can’t wait to see what the aftermarket does with this refresh at the upcoming SEMA Show and TAS.
Rear louvers are a definite win in my book.
Of course, one cannot forget the car that started it all, the AE86. This pair that turned up early in the morning completed the 86 line-up beautifully.
As far as rare factory 86 variants go, they don’t come more unique than the 86 Style Cb that Toyota offered in 2015. I think the headlights are suppose to look like those on an old Jaguar XK. What do you make of it?
I definitely think that the A90 photographs better from the rear, as it has plenty of aggression. Or maybe it’s just my polite way of saying that I still can’t digest the front headlights…
These are far more pleasant to look at.
Despite getting very wet, this was an event I really enjoyed covering and one I will try to make it to next year as well. It apparently had a far better turnout than the R’s Meeting this past Sunday, which due to having been cancelled and then put back on again, ended up attracting a fraction of the booths and cars it usually does.
That’s the world we live in right now I guess, but looking at the image above, I can’t really complain too much.
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com