I was reading around on the internet recently and came across some sites claiming that Toyota will bring back the Supra in 2008.  See above for a picture of the potential look of the new Supra.  If this is so Toyota will fill a hole missing in its lineup since it discontinued the Supra in the late 90’s as having a legitimate sports car.  From what I have read it will be a beast with a hardtop version sporting a 450HP V8 engine.  Toyota will also offer a hard-top convertible version that will have a V6.  Supposedly the V8 was out of the question in the convertible due to body strength issues with all that power.  Another note is the price tags at around $50K for the V8 version and $40K for the V6 model.  With all the performance being thrown around Toyota should easily put out a car that trumps its Japanese rivals the Nissan 350Z and Mazda RX-8.  All this sounds great but I see some issues.

If the price is true it would be a shame. The reason the RX-7, 300ZX, and Supra died was too high a price that the American market was unwilling to pay. If this is true Toyota is poised to make the same mistake again. The reason the 350Z and RX-8 have been so successful is there price (low 30’s) for what you get performance wise. While I agree this Supra sounds awesome if priced in the $50K range you can’t compare it to the 350Z and RX-8 there in different price ranges, I would hope it would be better. It needs to be compared more to a standard Vette and Shelby Mustang Cobra which are closer in the price range. You could buy a 350Z which will have production problems long worked out compared to a first year production Supra with who knows how many potential gremlins and throw 20K at it and have a beast of a car that I’m sure could hang with the Supra for around the same total price. Anyway just a thought, I see Toyota making the same mistake that caused them to discontinue the old Supra due to low sales.

Beautiful display of a lack of parenting shown in the picture above, it’s a 350Z which has been torn in half.  This car was racing a gray BMW which fared much better and by my assumption must have won since it was able to drive away.  According to the local Houston news the Z was being driven by a 21 year old male who from the paperwork inside the car and the temporary plates had gotten the car just days before this accident.  Ladies and gentleman I give you the worlds biggest brain fart, saying yes to your kid when he asks for a 350Z.  I’ll curb everyone’s emotions by saying the boy was beaten up but okay at the hospital and his girlfriend who was riding shotgun walked away unharmed.  Now if that wasn’t an endorsement for the safety of a new Nissan I don’t know what is but that’s not my point to this rant.

Who in there right mind gives there kid a $30,000 sports car???  Even LeBron James got a Hummer which was more expensive but slow and safe compared to a 350Z.  Especially a 21 year old BOY, take it from me a person who is a male and onetime was 21 it’s a bad idea.  I don’t care if the parents can afford it or not in today’s “The Fast & The Furious” mindset any teenager that’s given a fast car is going to drive it fast, especially us guys.  When watching this story on the news all I could think of was stupid, rich parents and I hope no one was surprised by this outcome.  I’m probably a little jealous to from the fact that I can’t afford a 350Z which I would love to have.  This kid gets one and decides to basically cut it in half a couple days later before the new car smell has even been worn out.  Man is this kid going to get ragged on at school Monday or what.  Oh well just thought it was amusing maybe you do to.  Click on the picture for a link to the article.

Click R8 to see the video.

With a price range above 100K and looking to compete in the Porsche 911 Turbo or Ferrari segment I really like what the R8 does. It’s a car that looks good statistically fits the bill of these other cars and if the sound isn’t edited onto the video I challenge anyone to find a better sounding vehicle. Now I know all you non V-Tec driving Civic guys think your cherry bomb mufflers are the greatest but this is a mid-engine, 400+ horsepower, and all-wheel drive beast. If you can get past the cheesy techno/house music I think the car looks great and the sound is an absolute dream. This should serve as a vehicle for those who can afford the Ferrari/Porsche product but don’t want to be like every other schmuck driving one. I mean really isn’t there enough Ferraris and 911 Turbo’s running around out there as it is, I for one can’t stand it. No really I’m game to drool over any of those cars but it seems Audi with its other aggressive offerings such as the RS4, RS6, and S8 have put the icing on the cake for potential factory hot rods with the R8. Below is a link to the article and needless to say enjoy the video which as depressing as it sounds will probably be the closest I get to drooling over one.

The first R32 took a VR6 GTI and put it on steroids. First they bumped the motor to 3.2 liters of displacement (hence R32) which brought its horsepower number to 240 with Torque somewhere very close to that. Next they mated it to a six-speed manual transmission which hooked up to an all-wheel drive 4Motion system. Yes that’s right I said all-wheel drive and 240 horsepower in a GTI! Volkswagen then finished it off with nice wheels, Recaro seats, and aluminum trim. Needless to say this was a huge success in the US prompting the newest version of this pocket rocket.

Without going into to much detail on the new model they have taken the same basic blueprint and improved on it. The newest version will see an increase in horsepower, will still be all-wheel drive, refined suspension, and a couple of choices in the transmission department. Click on the logo below to access an article with all the specifications and details on the new model plus a couple more pictures. If anyone needs me I’ll be donating plasma for my down payment!