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Toyota Supra could get targa roof

Toyota Supra could get targa roof

Toyota hinted a full convertible is unlikely.

While the Toyota Supra and the BMW Z4 are built on the same platform, and they share many components, they don't overlap because one is a coupe and the other is a convertible. However, Toyota hasn't ruled out making a drop-top variant of the born-again Supra before the end of the model's production run.

Tetsuya Tada, the Supra's chief engineer, told Japanese magazine Best Car that the Supra was engineered with a drop-top variant in mind from the get-go; technically, nothing is preventing the firm from turning it into a convertible. However, he believes the model is better suited to receiving a targa top, a configuration many previous generations of the Supra have offered.

Making a Supra with a targa top would ensure the model doesn't lose too much rigidity. It would also allow Toyota to stay off of BMW's turf. Seeing a top-less Supra in showrooms is certainly possible, but it's not currently under development, according to Tada. Toyota is likely waiting until it has a better idea of how popular the Supra is around the world before it approves additional variants.

In Munich, BMW is singing a different tune. While turning the Z4 into a coupe is possible, and the heritage is there, executives have previously confirmed the model will only be available as a convertible during its production run.

On a similar note, Tada told Best Car that the 2013 Toyota FT-86 Open concept (which was essentially an 86 with a soft top) very nearly reached production. Executives even talked to Austria's Magna-Steyr about building the convertible there, but they pulled the plug on the project at the last minute. Tada didn't reveal why, though low demand for convertibles was likely a determining factor.