Every once in a while, we have to revel in an advertising spot done so right, that it just goes right to gasoline running through our veins. In a bold move, one of our favourite snacks has crossed over into our automotive realm: Planters’ Mr. Peanut challenged Toyota to race its Supra against the NUTmobile in a battle for Well, fun! At first glance it would seem that the Planters NUTmobile is completely outclassed, weighing 13,000 pounds compared to the Supra’s 3,397. The Supra also makes 335 horsepower from its 3.0-litre turbocharged-six, while the NUTmobile’s 6.0-litre V8 only has the power of a dry roasted, lightly salted fibreglass peanut shell. Driving the Supra, professional Team Toyota drifter Fredric Aasbo, and behind the wheel of the NUTmobile a nut. Right before the finish line, Mr. Peanut pushes the nut button, but despite his efforts, the Supra still comes out ahead, if only by a couple of peanuts. The ad also raises the question Why would the Toyota Supra race a peanut? Well, the answer is: for charity. In the end, the Supra reigns victorious, despite a tortoise-and-hare back-and-forth and both competitors donate to each others’ charities: Toyota’s charity, the American Heart Association and Bob Woodruff Foundation, and Mr. Peanut’s cause, the Movember foundation. The only gripe we can see about the commercial is that it appears to show Fredric Aasbo shifting the Supra, which makes us yearn for the manual, when in reality he is probably just in the manual setting for the automatic. Still, stop teasing us,
Origin: Toyota Supra and NUTmobile go Sup to nuts in charity race
Supra
Will Toyota bring the 2.0-litre turbo Supra to Canada?
2020 Toyota SupraDerek McNaughton / Driving Up until now, the 2020 Toyota Supra has come with a single engine option in North American markets: a 335-horsepower 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six sourced from BMW, but that could all be changing according to emissions documents filed by the brand. According to Automobile Mag, the 2.0-litre turbo engine that the 2020 Supra receives in other markets is coming to the United States. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has just certified the engine for sale in California, for use in both the Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4 with which it shares a platform. The real question is, will the engine make its way onto Canadian market Supras? “Toyota Canada would be smart to bring in the rumoured 2.0L Turbo version of the new Supra,” says our own Motor Mouth, David Booth, noting that with the current proposed lineup, there would be a huge gap between the bargain-basement 86 and the full-zoot six-cylinder Supra. The 2.0-litre turbo-four that the Supra receives in Japan makes 194 horsepower and 236 lb.-ft. of torque, exactly the same as the BMW Z4. The smaller engine should also command a lower price, just as the Celica/Supra did in the 1980s. Booth adds: “A mid-priced Supra would slot in nicely between those two and give Toyota dealers a full range of sports car offering, which, I have to assume, is their eventual goal. So, yes, look for a Supra four-banger, but not before the top-of-the-line 3.0-litre six makes a splash.” In some markets, the BMW Z4 also comes with a manual transmission when specified with the 2.0-litre turbo, so if Toyota really wanted to light our manual-loving purist hearts on fire they could add that down the road as
Origin: Will Toyota bring the 2.0-litre turbo Supra to Canada?
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