TOM’S has restomodded a TRD 3000GT and it’s glorious

This is one of the rarest cars in the world. It’s also one of the greenest. Meet Japanese tuning outfit TOM’S take on Toyota’s own TRD 3000GT: a glorious restoration of a car originally built to honour a fantastically proportioned racing car.

Fans of Gran Turismo will fondly remember the TOM’S racing Supra; a widened, hardened Japanese touring car built for the GT500 class back in 1994. Toyota built a small run of road-going versions spun off that racer’s more aggressive looks, and it’s that car – officially called the TRD 3000GT – TOM’S has refreshed.

And yes, it looks mighty fresh. “Celebrating 50 years since its establishment, TOM’S has restored and modernised the TRD 3000GT,” said, um, TOM’S. The original TRD – short for ‘Toyota Racing Development’ – gave the MKIV Supra a new bodykit made out of fibre-reinforced plastic.

The aim was to change the ‘heavy, original bodywork’ for more aero-efficient, lighter panels. Spot the differences over a regular MKIV Supra: that front bumper, side skirts and flared arches, a new rear wing and an angry bonnet featuring no less than four vents. TOM’S hasn’t changed any of this, merely restoring the entire offering.

Where it differs from TRD’s efforts is a new set of Brembo brakes, a new suspension setup (dubbed ‘Advox Sports’), and a fancy new set of fetching multispoke wheels replacing TRD’s deep-dished five-spoke originals. We’re torn on this last point. No doubt you are too.

TOM’S has left the twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE six-pot alone, but then so did TRD back in the day, aside from a new ‘enhanced engine breathing product’ [read: fancy air filter]. So you’re looking at under 300 horsies going to the rear wheels.

Which feels like a missed opportunity when TOM’S is charging some 25,000,000 Yen for the complete car – that’s £133k. But then, it is one of the rarest cars in the world (TRD only built 35 3000GTs), it is very green, and it is fantastically proportioned.