Legendary Japanese tuning firm, TOM’s, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. So, to mark the occasion, it’s built this eye-catching Supra restomod.
Restomods are as popular as ever, but after a long-standing trend of focusing on Euro and US models, it seems that some JDM classics are now finally getting some love too. This Supra restomod by TOM’s is a key example of that, but before we get into the specifics of the car itself, I’ll give you a brief introduction to TOM’s if the brand has somehow passed you by. Existing simultaneously as both a racing team and a tuning house, TOM’s is to Toyota what Spoon Sports is to Honda. Technically, they’re independent companies, but there are long-standing links with both respective OEMs.
The TOM’s JGTC Supra racecar that many of us will remember from Gran Turismo video games.
If you’ve ever watched Best MOTORing, you’ll likely have come across one of the many TOM’s creations there. Or, if you played Gran Turismo when you were growing up, you might have memories of the Castrol-liveried Supra JGTC racecar. That glorious machine was run by the TOM’s racing team in real life, and they still compete in the championship today (albeit with the A90 instead). I could go on for a long time about this tuning house’s impact on Japanese and international car culture, but that would make for a whole different article. Hopefully though, you can understand that this 50th Anniversary is one that’s worth celebrating, and what better way to do that than with a special Supra project.
Styling Revisions
Now, often when we speak about restomods, the cars involved tend to be ground-up rebuilds. That, however, isn’t quite the case here. Truth be told, the revisions aren’t as comprehensive as what you’d expect from the likes of Singer for example. As such, this car blurs the lines between being a true restomod and simply just being a very lovingly modified car. Nonetheless, if TOM’s wants to call it a restomod, that’s fine by me.
Ultimately, there is still plenty of work that’s gone into this Supra. Let’s start with the visual stuff. First of all, the aesthetic choices made here are certainly bold. That vivid green paintwork will likely be divisive, especially in contrast with the equally eye-catching gold Potenza alloys. As for the actual bodywork, students of JDM tuning lore will be able to identify this bodykit as the TRD 3000GT variant.
The original TRD 3000GT
The backstory behind it is pretty cool – back in 1994, Toyota announced its arrival in the prestigious Japanese Grand Touring Championship (JGTC) with a near-homologation special Supra. That car was called the TRD 3000GT, and it wore a bodykit (this bodykit) that mirrored that of Toyota’s new JGTC Supra racecars. In time, the TRD 3000GT kit became an official conversion option for customers’ road cars, though only 35 examples were ever produced. It’s unclear whether this restomod is wearing legitimate TRD panels, or whether this bodykit is an homage/imitation.
Chassis & Engine Upgrades
So, that’s the visuals, now what about the internal updates? Official confirmation of these aspects is fairly limited for now. What we do know is that this Supra restomod benefits from an upgraded Brembo brake package, and interior updates from Bride. Other news outlets have reported that the car’s powertrain remains stock, however I’m not so sure. Again, we’re lacking much in the way of official word, but a glance at Online Auto Salon tells a slightly different story.
On the certified exhibition spec sheet, the car is listed as having an output of 380PS (around 374hp) – which is a fair chunk more than the 2JZ-GTE’s stock capabilities. Admittedly, we all know that the official number of 276hp was knowingly downplayed by Toyota to keep to Japan’s OEM gentleman’s agreement, but even the more realistic estimates of 320 stock ponies fall short of the figure listed by the Tokyo Auto Salon. That extra 50-odd horsepower has got to come from somewhere, right? Plus, with a rumored price tag of 25 million yen (roughly $170,000 or £135,000), you’d hope that you’d be getting more than just a styling package and brake upgrade for your money.
Want to catch up with more from the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon? Be sure to read my show report next!
