Toyota GR Supra loses its lid

Toyota is preparing to unveil the sizzling Toyota GR Supra Sport Top Edition, and if it’s well received it could provide fresh ammunition to fend off the more affordable and powerful new Nissan 400Z.

But right now we have these unofficial renderings to whet the appetite ahead of the Mk5 GR Supra Sport Top’s debut in the US.

This impressive GR Supra Targa concept was rendered by Jon Sibal and looks a treat with the roof panels removed and its muscular proportions emphasised with a tough body kit, slammed suspension and aftermarket wheels.

We can only assume it’s not running the regular BMW B58 (285kW/500Nm) 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine, but the BMW M-developed S58 six-cylinder (375kW/600Nm) set for the ballistic Toyota Supra GRMN.

With all that said, a Mk5 Toyota Supra targa top is less likely to roll out of the factory in Austria than a soft-top convertible, especially given the double-bubble shape of the current Supra which could make mass-producing removable roof panels more challenging.

We know Toyota’s sports car maestro Tetsuya Tada is keen on developing a Supra convertible, and given it shares lots of hard points with the BMW Z4 roadster, it would seem a fait accompli.

But there are historical precedents for a targa top, with the Mk3 Supra (A70) offering the first targa model in the range in 1986, a design that continued into the Mk4 Supra (A80) through the 1990s and into the early 2000s.

The last models even had aluminium roof panels to keep weight down, so how about carbon-fibre for the Mk5 Supra Targa?

Let’s see what materialises with the official Toyota GR Supra Sport Top Edition, which is described as a concept but looks to be no mere flight of fantasy.

And if it doesn’t shape up for Australia, maybe the Japanese brand’s Aussie design team will go rogue and create a one-off special, just as it did with the striking 86 Shooting Brake concept in 2016.