Toyota reveals Super GT GT300-spec Supra in Tokyo

The Supra has been built to JAF-GT300 specification rather than SRO's GT3 or the series' own mother chassis rules, the latter having increasingly fallen out of favour with the teams in recent years.

The car has been built by GT300 team Saitama Toyopet as a replacement for the Toyota Mark MC model, which it ran in the series until last year.

The outfit plans to field a single Supra in 2020 after shaking down the car at Fuji Speedway in December.

It has retained 36-year-old Hiroki Yoshida for a second season, but Shigekazu Wakisaka has been dropped in favour of Kohta Kawaii, who will make his series debut after after finishing third in Japanese F4 last year.

The GT300 Supra will be joined on the grid by a more powerful variant, which will compete against the Nissan GT-R and the Honda NSX-GT in SUPER GT's premier GT500 category.

Toyota will also debut a GT4 model of the Supra in 2020, while another version of the car has been present in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since last year.

Rich heritage
The Supra was introduced in SUPER GT's precursor All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship 1995 and won several drivers' and teams' title before it was phased out completely from the grid in 2006.

Moreover, the Castrol-liveried TOM'S car was featured in the original Gran Turismo game, gaining it a cult following across the globe.

The Supra's return marks the end of Lexus' stint in SUPER GT's flagship category, although its RC F GT3 will continue to race in the GT300 category.