Retrospective: When Toyota Made Interesting Cars, Part II

In a continuation of my previous post on the cool cars Toyota's forgotten how to build, today we'll be discussing some larger concepts - as well as some larger cars.  First, we'll talk about a broad overall concept Toyota's forgotten.

Well, it's not really a concept so much as a specific device.  It's the...

Turbocharger!

If there's one word that typifies Toyota's technological halo today, it's "Hybrid."  Regardless of my position on Hypebrids, it didn't always used to be this way.  There once was a time when Toyota would sell you pretty much anything with an exhaust-driven hairdryer hanging from it's manifold.  Want proof?

That's right, you could get a mid-eighties TOYOTA PICKUP TRUCK with a turbocharged engine.  Not a measly turbodiesel; no, it was a turbocharger stuck on the venerable 22R-E fuel injected four.  "135bhp!"  Ok, sure.  The 22R-ET wasn't the best example of Toyota's turbo engineering prowess, but seriously:  Toyota no longer makes a single turbocharged car.  Why?

Anyway, on to some cars.  We'll start with the most recent as well as the lightest, then go on to some heavyweights.

7th-generation Toyota Celica GT-S

In the last installment, I featured the turbocharged 4WD Celica GT4's, which were basically rally specials for the street.  However, by the 90's the Celica had really lost the plot.  It had gained weight (physically and visually) and not really any power, and had become something of a stuffed shirt - as in, "where's the cream filling?"

So when Toyota introduced the redesigned 7th generation Celica in 2000, people took notice.  It was lithe, agile, and available with a truly interesting powertrain.  Weight was down, from 2720lbs in the 6th gen GT-S to 2467 lbs.  The 7th gen Celica had taut, futuristic styling - a big change from the plump, bug-eyed look the 6th gen had.

The base model Celicas got a rather dull 1ZZ-GE, shared with the 7th-generation Corolla.  This 1.8L twin-cammer made a tolerable 140 horsepower and was mated to either a 4-speed auto or a 5-speed manual.  The GT-S was the interesting one, though.  The engine - designated the 2ZZ-GE - was co-developed with Yamaha.  The main difference was the use of VVTL-i, which is a dual-phase cam system similar to Honda's i-VTec system.  The difference between low and high cam profiles is fairly drastic; the intake cam jumps from 228° to 292°, and the exhaust cam goes from 228° to 272°.  What this means is that the 2ZZ in the GT-S is a veritable Jekyll/Hyde type of engine.  South of the cam changeover at 6,200rpm, the car is smooth and quiet and relatively gutless.  North of that... you better hold on.  The cam changeover is even more dramatic than on most Honda VTec engines, and the end result is 180 horsepower, give or take depending on the market and application - from the same engine without the second cam profile that only makes 138.

The 2ZZ-GE will spin all the way out to 8,200rpm (or 8,400rpm in some models), and testing has shown the engine can safely spin above 9,000rpm with proper modifications to the fueling system.  Combining this high-strung powerful engine with Celica's light, sweet-handling chassis produced an unlikely automobile: a true driver's coupé from Toyota, of all people.

A Celica GT-S with simple suspension work (shocks, springs, swaybars) and sticky rubber (perhaps a Potenza RE050A or something similar) can produce well over 1.0g of lateral acceleration, which is quite impressive for a street car with a full interior and air conditioning.  It's also got strong brakes, a tight six-speed manual, and it's a hatchback with folding rear seats for practicality.  What's not to love?

Well, the main problem with the GT-S was that tight, tight shifter.  It was far too easy to shift from third and expect to get fourth, but instead get second.  The 2ZZ is an interference engine, and this means bad things.  Spinning one of these motors well above it's factory redline  can cause the oil pump to explode, which pretty much signals the end of your engine's life.

Still, these days the Celica GT-S offers a fantastic buy in the second-hand market.  The high-winding 4cyl engine sounds fantastic, the handling is superb, the gas mileage is quite good, and the look is unique. Toyota ended production of the  Celica in 2005, with no direct replacement.  However, they brought out a pseudo replacement in 2006 in the form of this, the Scion tC:

The tC was marketed under Toyota's "youth" brand Scion, and to say that it lost the plot from the old Celica would be unnecessarily kind.  A US-market only car, based on the European-market Toyota Avensis (which I've heard is about as interesting as a nun), it sports the 2.4L I4 from the Camry (ugh) with a thundering 158bhp, a sloppy five speed, and options like glowing cupholders and reclining rear seats - perfect for the people that drive them.  That is to say, highschool girls.

Toyota Supra

Now, if you're reading this site and you don't know what a Toyota Supra is... I'd be shocked.  Still, it's such a fantastic vehicle that the lesson bears repeating.  The Supra was Toyota's flagship "halo" car from it's introduction in 1979 until it's final production year of 2002 in the Japanese Market.

The first generation of the Supra was basically a lengthened Celica with an inline-six cylinder engine instead of a 4.  Overall length went up 5.1" over the Celica, but it was all from the A-pillar forward.  The 2.6L 4M-E under the hood was a simple iron-block unit with a 12 valve head, and made 110 horsepower.  It was also Toyota's first engine to sport electronic fuel injection.  Supras came with either  a 5-speed overdrive manual transmission, or a 4-speed automatic, which was high tech back then.

Ok, so it wasn't pretty by modern standards, but by 1979 standards it was powerful, reliable, and well-equipped.The first-generation Celica Supra was in production until 1981, and received minor updates during that time frame.  The Japanese-market Supra received a turbocharged version in 1980, with a 2.0L M-TEU motor making 145 horsepower.  This 2.0L engine was Toyota's first turbo motor, and acceleration was greatly improved.

For in1981, the base model US Supras received a mild upgrade - the 4M-E became the 5M-E, with displacement boosted to 2.8L and power going up to 116.  Increased torque, lower peaks, and a shorter final-drive ratio made the performance a little more segment-appropriate, but still left something to be desired.

Toyota responded to these demands in 1982 with the second-generation Celica Supra.  Still based on the Celica chassis (back when it was rear-wheel-drive), the MKII Supra sported sharp, angular lines with wide, boxy fenders.  It was more aerodynamic and the styling went over a lot better with the general public.  It's not hard to tell why - I still think the boxy looks of the MKII are attractive today, in a retro sort of way.

in the US market, the Supra was initially available in two types: Performance and Luxury.  They were mechanically the same, but the P-type got the fiberglass fender flares, 8-way adjustable sports seats (highly reviewed at the time), 7" wide 14" alloys (instead of the standard 5.5" wide wheels), and a few other goodies.

The engine was a derivative of the MK1 Supra motor.  Now sporting dual overhead cams (but still 2 valves per cylinder), the 5M-GE made a respectable 145bhp.  This dropped the 0-60 time below 10 seconds (remember... 1982!) and the quarter dropped from the low 19's to the high 17's.  The main improvement was the wider powerband thanks to the dual overhead cam setup which made the Supra a lot more fun to drive.  Press and owner feedback alike was overwhelmingly positive; by the mid-eighties the Supra had become something of a new-money status symbol.  Mainly because it looked like a space ship.

1983 brought  in an extra 5bhp, a 4.10:1 final drive for the P-type to help acceleration, and minor changes.  Real updates occured in 1985, with a new throttle position sensor, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve, and the addition of a knock sensor allowing a higher compression ratio.  Power went up to 161bhp (roughly comparable to the turbocharged Nissan 280ZX), and 0-60 was dispatched in a more respectable 8.4 seconds.  Production of the MKII Celica Supra ended in 1986, and it's replacement was even better.

The MK3 Supra debuted in 1986, with all new styling, all new engines, and the availability of turbo power in the US market for the first time.  It was more powerful, faster, heavier, and better equipped- more of a powerful GT than a true sports car.  Still, it suited the market perfectly and sales continued to go up.

Under the hood was the latest evolution of the Toyota M block, which was about to run the course of it's useful life - it was under the hood of the original Albrecht Goertz-styled 2000GT from 1967.  Now designated 7M-GE, it displaced a full 3.0L and used a 24-valve head with dual overhead camshafts.  Power jumped from 161 in the old 5M-GE to a nice, even 200 in the new model.  This turbine-smooth powerplant gave the Supra the kind of continent-crushing mid-range power it really needed; 0-60 was dispatched in 7.1 seconds and the Supra could top out at 137 - world class performance for 1986.

1987 saw the introduction (in the US) of the first legalized Supra Turbo; thus the legend was born.  The 7M-GE became the 7M-GTE, utilizing a Toyota CT26 turbocharger and an air-to-air intercooler.  Power jumped to 232, torque from 187 to 254 lb-ft.  with a five speed, the Supra Turbo hustled to 60mph in only 6.2 seconds, and could see north of 140mph top out - comparable to the Corvette, 300ZX Turbo, and RX7 Turbo of the day.

The Mk3 Supra had more derivatives than the earlier Supras, as Toyota got into their technological stride in the late 80's.  The first was the Supra Turbo-A, which was a limited-production homologation model built in small numbers in late 1987.  Built to legalize the Supra for Group A racing, the Turbo-A featured a tweaked 7M-GTE with a different turbo (CT-26b) making 267bhp, reduced weight, and extra cooling.  Due to restrictions on cars over 3.0L of dispalecement, the Turbo-A had limited success in Group A racing, but it made for a storming street car.

The choicest of the Supras was a home-market only model called the 2.5 Twin-Turbo R.  Midway through production of the MKIII, Toyota introduced their brand-new Inline 6 - the JZ series.  Offered in 2.0L, 2.5L, and 3.0L displacement, the MK3 in Japan received the 2.5L 1JZ motor.  This iron-block motor featured advanced sequential turbocharging - one small turbo and one larger turbo operated in sequence.  The advantage to this is a much smoother powerband than just one large turbo - the small one spools quickly at low RPMS, then transfers boost over to the other at higher RPMS, delivering massive wads of linear power all over the power band.

The 2.5 Twin Turbo-R was the ultimate version of this Supra, featuring the 280bhp 1JZ-GTE, a Torsen LSD, additional chassis bracing (as well as a stronger mount for the differential), Recaro seats,  Bilstein suspension and a bunch of other goodies.  As the lightest and most powerful MK3 Supra, the Twin-Turbo R could run a 14 second quarter mile and 0-60 in the mid-fives - wicked quick.

By 1992, the Supra was getting decidedly long in the tooth.  The Corvette had gained the 300bhp LT1 V8 and the ZF  6-speed manual, and the 300ZX Turbo had been updated to the fantastic Z32, with it's 300-horsepower twin turbo VG.  The RX-7 had dropped weight (under 2800lbs) and gained standard twin-sequential turbochargers, which allowed 255bhp and 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.  Then there were the 3Si twins, the Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4.  While history hasn't been kind to these cars, remember what they had back in 1990: 300 horsepower twin turbo V6, four wheel drive, four wheel steering, active aerodynamics, etc.  Something had to be done.

So for the MKIV Supra, Toyota went all-out in a way they have never acheived again.  When the MKIV Supra debuted in 1993, it wasn't just a match for it's Japanese competition - RX7, 300ZX, 3000GT VR-4 - it had Porsche Turbos and Ferrari 512's getting cold sweats.  Oh, it was fast.

The new car switched over entirely to the new JZ block, with base models carrying the 220bhp 2JZ-GE 3.0L I6, almost as much as the old 7M turbo.  Big news was the Turbo: the 2JZ-GTE under the hood was a 3.0L iron-block 24v six, fitted with twin-sequential turbocharging.  Total power was 320bhp@5600rpm and 315lb-ft@4000 rpm.  Oddly enough, US-market Supra Turbos were more powerful than Japanese Market cars.  Thanks to smaller, quicker spooling impeller wheels on the turbos and larger injectors, the US-market Turbo handily beat the Japanese market car, 320 to 280.  This is due to a "gentleman's agreement" between the Japanese manufacturers to limit stated output to 276bhp - or 280ps.  Of course, it's unlikely the Japanese market Supras actually only made 280bhp, but it's still interesting nonetheless.

Performance was explosive.  Car & Drive timed a stock, six-speed Supra Turbo to sixty miles an hour in 4.6 seconds.  What was most interesting was the extensive lengths Toyota went to minimize weight given all the equipment; a Supra Turbo weighed in around 3400lbs, so they weren't entirely successful.  But seriously: aluminum formed the hood, targa roof, front crossmember, upper suspension A-arms, oil pan, and transmission pan.  Then there were the dished-out head bolts, hollow-fiber carpet mats (not even kidding), a magnesium steering wheel, a gas-filled rear spoiler (huh?), and the fact that they chose not to include an unnecessary dual exhaust on the Turbo model.  As a result, the model was about 200lbs lighter than the MK3 - despite producing way more power.

The car was a press darling, winning comparison tests and awards left and right.  The car continued on unchanged (what needed to be fixed?) until 1999, when Toyota ceased importation of the car to the US due to an unfavorable dollar-to-yen exchange rate.  JDM production of the Supra continued until 2002, when upcoming emissions regulations finally killed the car after a 9-year-long run.

Today, the Supra is still enjoying a disproportionately large amount of popularity.  Some of it is due to the ease with which one can coax extra power out of a Supra Turbo; "BPU" (Basic Performance Upgrades) MKIV Supra Turbos are easily capable of laying down 400+ wheel horsepower, which is a whole lot of fun.  Also, these cars are incredibly overbuilt - the stock block and internals can support up to 800 crank horsepower without upgrades, which is simply insane.  However, what's a shame is that a lot of Supras have fallen into the hands of the ricey tuner crowd, who slap some big wheels and a sewer-pipe exhaust on it after seeing The Fast and The Furious.  Still, if you can find a well-maintained (stock) Supra Turbo for a good price, don't pass it by just because it's a Toyota.  Remember, they weren't ALWAYS boring.

Lexus SC300/SC400/ Toyota Soarer

Now here, I have literally saved the best for last.  By which I mean, the JZZ30 Toyota Soarer (and it's US equivalents, the Lexus SC) are the best cars Toyota has ever made.  I know that's a bold statement (especially to all you obnoxious Supra fanboys), but it's true.

The Soarer/SC was one of those rare cars that did everything right.  It's the car that's come closest to scoring a perfect score on Road & Track's objective/subjective number matrix - scoring a 98  out of 100.  It was beautiful, composed, comfortable, exceedingly rapid in most versions, immaculately assembled, and displayed a kind of tasteful restraint Toyota doesn't have any more.  It was a truly epic car; and furthermore I'm not the only one who thinks so. Mechanically speaking, the JZZ30/31 Soarer/SC shares a lot with the MKIV Supra - but it was its own distinct car.

The Soarer/SC was a full-sized 2-door coupe, a classic 2+2 with room for occasional rear passengers - moreso than the Supra, but not the most expansive back seat.  The styling was restrained (some would say boring) but graceful; it hasn't aged a day, despite debuting in 1991.

In America, the SC was the "sporty" offering in Toyota's recent Lexus luxury brand, a 2-door counterpart to the dull-but-nice LS400 sedan.  It was available in the US with two engines: the 2JZ-GE 3.0L 225bhp I6, and the 1UZ-FE 4.0L 32v V8, originally making 250 horsepower.  The 2JZ was available with either a 4-speed automatic or a (rare) 5-speed manual; the 1UZ made do with lots of torque and an automatic only.

In Japan, the SC was marketed as the Toyota Soarer - the third generation of Toyota's big, powerful six-cylinder rear drive coupe.  Options in Japan differed from the US to a large extent.  The biggest difference was the available of the Soarer Twin Turbo, which used the 1JZ-GTE 2.5L twin-sequential turbocharged six cylinder (previously mentioned in the MK3 Supra section) with 280ps.  This model was available with a six-speed manual transmission, and has gathered quite an enthusiast following thanks to it's ease of modification.

The Soarer/SC was basically a stretched fourth-generation Supra, so performance was ample.  Base model (2JZ-GEU) Soarers could run to sixty in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of 146; 1UZ (V8) models did 6.4 seconds and 150mph, respectively.  Later SC400's received a bump in output to 290bhp, and could about crack the six-second barrier to sixty.  As far as Japanese models, the 1JZ-GTE powered Twin Turbo was the pick of the litter, capable of 5.5 second 0-10okm/h sprints and almost 160mph top out - when they were stock.  Which was not often.

The Japanese market Soarer offered all sorts of neat features never offered in the US Market, too.  EMV (Electro Multi Vision) was an option on up-level Soarers, consistening of a touch-screen in-dash display with navigation and television capabilities as well as graphic touch controls for the HVAC system and audio system, on-board diagnostics, and a backup camera.  Top of the line Soarers received fully active suspension, which used hydraulic dampers and yaw sensors to adjust effective spring rates corner-to-corner to deliver an eerily smooth ride with virtually no body roll.  As only 873 of these were made, they're quite collectable today.  Most interesting was the availability of dealer-installed front and rear radar detectors which integrated with the IP on the US market SC300/400 from detector company K40, but this was a rare and expensive option- rarely seen.

The JZZ30 Soarer/SC went out of production in 1999, and was replaced by the SC430 - which is perhaps one of the ugliest, most pointless cars ever.  The elegant styling was gone, replaced by a mix of Mercedes SL and Buick Riviera and a Bucket of Vomit, with an ungainly folding hardtop, a limp-wristed 300bhp V8, and a clientele consisting mostly of  clueless California trophy wives.  The SC430 never really measured up to the older SC, in the minds of the press as well as the consumer.  I personally despise the SC430; it took all the wonderful things about the SC400 and threw them in the trash.  Which is yet more proof that Toyota doesn't get it.

Imagine if they did?