Toyota is a Japanese automotive manufacturer known for producing various vehicles, including SUVs, sedans, crossovers, trucks, and the thing we are interested in– exotic cars. The company was established in 1937, and its first production car, the Model AA, began production later that same year. They have become one of the largest names in the automotive world ever since. Apart from their most popular models, the Prius, Camry, and Corolla, there are some Toyota exotic cars that are staples of their brand. 

Toyota has produced undebatable exotic cars, including the legendary Supra, Lexus LFA, MR2 and 200GT. All of which we will comprehensively dive into in the article below!

Toyota Supra

We can’t talk about Toyota exotic cars without mentioning the Toyota Supra. The Supra is exactly what Toyota stands for: performance, reliability, and dependability. Throughout the Supra’s evolution, the car model has repeatedly proven its capabilities. The cars they create are everything they promised they would be –  affordable but luxurious, reliable but fast. 

This legendary supercar is the staple of Toyota’s engineering. It is possibly the greatest car Toyota has produced, but this wasn’t necessarily the case at the beginning of production

History of the Toyota Supra

The Supra production began in 1978, named the Celica XX or the A40 model.  Some experts disliked the name, so they unofficially called it the Celica Supra. This version of the car had the engine of the 2000GT but the body of the Celica. Hence, the name. In 1981, they released the A50, famously known as the MKII (Mark 2). The cars were good, but there was nothing much special or noteworthy about them.

Mark 3 Supra

Then, in 1986, Toyota released the MKIII Supra (A70) as a separate model from the Celica. And again, the MKIII wasn’t anything special at the beginning of production. It was heavy, and performance was lacking. That was until 1987 when Toyota turbocharged the engine and created the 7MGTE engine, which promptly marked the beginning of the legendary Supra Turbo.

The car was fast, agile, reliable, and dependable at the time. Then, in 1992, Toyota updated the car with the new inline-6 engine, the 1JZ, which, at the time, made the MKIII the pinnacle of automotive engineering.

Mark 4 Supra

In 1993, Toyota released what would become one of the most unforgettable and legendary cars of all time– the Toyota Supra MKIV (A80). With a new sleek and aerodynamic design and the new 2JZ, the Supra immediately stood out as Toyota’s greatest car.

With unlimited tuning options and extreme reliability, anybody with a little knowledge of engines could easily modify and tune the engine to put out more than 800 hp, more than F1 cars at that time. With this modification, the Supra MKIV became desirable and expensive. Although the market price of the Supra was around $40,000 at its release, today, a pristine condition Supra can fetch upward of 6 figures. 

The MKIV could easily be compared to Porsches and Aston Martins for less than half the price. And did we mention that it was a four-seater car with a comfortable and luxurious interior?

Mark 5 Supra

Then, in 2019, Toyota released the MKV (A90) Supra. The car was a collaboration with BMW and most found the car to be a hardcore and track-focused car. Most experts and enthusiasts expected much more from Toyota. That is not to say that the performance and power figures were lacking. The turbocharged inline-6 engine outputs 335 hp with a curb weight of almost 3500 pounds.

Lexus LFA

The Lexus LFA is an exotic car developed by Lexus, Toyota’s luxurious and sport-focused division. The Lexus LFA was produced between 2010 and 2012, and only 500 units were produced worldwide. 

Some concepts for the LFA were teased in previous years, but production was limited to 2 years, and only one model was ever produced.

The exotic car is a two-seater coupe with a characteristic design– aggressive, bold, aerodynamic, and sleek. The LFA has a 4.8 LV10 engine, making an astounding 553 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. With a curb weight of 3400 lbs, the Lexus LFA is mind-blowingly fast. 

The most characteristic part of the LFA is the sound made from the factory exhaust. It is the most desired factory exhaust sound of any exotic car. 

The car’s base price was around $375,000, but today, in some auctions, collectors are willing to pay upward of half a million dollars. The collector’s value of the LFA seems to have been planned by Lexus. The car was produced in such limited numbers and sold to a select few buyers intentionally. Each car had a special plaque and was signed by the person putting the car together, adding collectible value to the car. 

Toyota MR2

The Toyota MR2 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 to 2007. The name of the MR2 stands for “Midship Runabout 2-Seater” or “mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, 2 seater”. The MR2 underwent three generations worth of changes, updates, and overhauls. 

As every generation of cars passed, the MR2’s design was completely overhauled to fit the new automotive industry trend. Each car generation was unrecognizable from the previous, but only one thing remained the same–the unique mid-engine and rear-wheel drive specifications.

First generation (1984 – 1989)

The first generation of the MR2 was known as the AW11, a classic 80’s styled sports car. The timeless wedge shape with bold corners and edges had a 1.5-liter inline-4 engine that put out 122 hp. With a curb weight of 2150 lbs, it was a fast, affordable, beautiful sports car with great handling.

Second generation (1989 – 1999)

The second generation MR2, the SW20, had a more aggressive but bubblier shape. It had more curves than edges, but it looked much more aggressive. It kept the pop-up headlights, but everything else was unrecognizably different from the previous generation.

The MR2 II had multiple engine options, making it possible to make anywhere from 140 hp up to 250 hp with the turbocharged 3S-GTE. These engine options depended on the market or version of the car.

Third generation (1999 – 2007)

Once again, Toyota completely overhauled the car’s design but only kept the recognizable two-seater, rear-wheel drive and mid-engine characteristics. The third generation, also known as the W30 or MR-S, featured a more modern and streamlined design. It was much more similar to the first generation of the MR2 as it returned to the compact look. 

The W30 had a 1.3 liter inline-4 engine that put out 138 hp, with a curb weight of around 2300 lbs. It was a great car known for its excellent handling and performance capabilities.

Toyota 2000GT

The Toyota 2000GT is a timeless classic manufactured by Toyota between 1967 and 1970. The design for the car was a collaboration between Yamaha and Toyota and was strongly influenced by the European car designs of that time.

The 2000GT was powered by a 2 liter inline-6 engine, which produced 150 hp. The engine was coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The 2000GT had a top speed of 130 mph, which was very impressive for the late 60’s. 

The car is known for its collectible value. Only 351 units were ever produced; it was also featured in a James Bond movie, making it extremely rare.

The 2000GT was a milestone in Japanese automotive history, as it showed that it could compete on the worldwide market with a stylish and performance-focused sports car.

Conclusion

These are just some of the greatest exotic cars that Toyota has produced. Although there are many, we have concluded just a few that have set their mark in the automotive world and the Toyota brand itself. 

Toyota has proven itself to be an excellent car manufacturer through multiple exotic cars. Toyota exotic cars include the 1967 2000GT, the MR2, the Supra, and the LFA, among the most popular ones. These cars have shown that Toyota can withstand the test of time.

They have been a necessary manufacturer in the JDM car scene, leaving us to question where the automotive industry would be today without the impressive engineering feats of Toyota.