This idea would make a great Fast and Furious movie concept.
The Toyota Supra has a removable roof panel to accommodate the Sport Top concept, which will debut at this year’s SEMA360. Although the company has yet to show the entire vehicle, this teaser video shows what they have in mind.
Toyota displayed the Supra Heritage Edition at last year’s SEMA Show. The news sports coupe was dressed in touches from the fourth-generation model. Upgrades included a retro-inspired wings, modified taillights with CNC-machined lense, and a revised front splitter.
The Toyota team has taken the fourth-gen Supra idea even further and designed the new Supra to have a removable roof panel. This is similar to the one on the previous model. To make this project work, it will require significant engineering. For easier storage, the team plans to remove the top in two pieces. The ideal scenario would be that a person only needs to push a button on their keyfob to unlock them. However, the crew is still working on this aspect.
To maintain rigidity, the team plans to add reinforcements under Supra. The Supra’s relationship to the latest BMW Z4 convertible means that it should already be quite stiff, so builders may not need to add too much reinforcement.
There are a few extra special touches to the Supra Sport Top concept. The vehicle has a wider front splitter, wider side sills and a larger diffuser. These body modifications aren’t too drastic, but they make the exterior stand out beyond the removable roof.
There was speculation that Toyota would offer a coupe with a removable roof when the Supra rumor mill was turning. This raises the question whether the SEMA360 concept is Toyota’s way to test the waters with its fans. Before releasing a new model, the product team may want to get positive feedback.