What do you get when you cross a Toyota GR Supra with NASCAR’s ‘King’? Answer, the Suprabird.
This modern tribute to Richard Petty is Toyota’s star attraction at the 2024 SEMA Show, the speciality equipment exhibition held each year in Las Vegas. The car is the brainchild of NASCAR television analyst and Toyota ambassador, Rutledge Wood, who wanted to celebrate the move from Petty’s former team (now known as Legacy Motor Club) to racing Toyotas in NASCAR this season.
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“I wanted to welcome Petty to the Toyota Gazoo Racing Family, celebrate his affiliation with Legacy Motor Club, and pay homage to the 75th Anniversary of the Petty Family in Racing,” Wood said. “The vision was to recreate the aesthetic of the iconic Superbird in the form of a modern-day GR Supra, and thus the Suprabird was born!”
Legacy Motor Club is co-owned by another seven-time NASCAR champion, Jimmie Johnson, who made the decision to cut his ties with Chevrolet and race the Toyota Camry in the Cup Series from 2024 onwards. While the Petty family has not had a stake in the team for several seasons, it can still trace its roots back to Richard Petty Motorsports, and ‘The King’ is still an ambassador for the squad.
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While there are some minor under-the-surface modifications the biggest changes are to the exterior. There’s a new bodykit, with a huge rear wing, to pay tribute to the Plymouth Superbird Petty raced in the 1970s. The car is also painted (not wrapped) in Petty’s iconic blue and his famous #43 was hand-painted on the doors and roof.
While Toyota won’t put the Suprabird into production Hot Wheels will, with plans for a scaled down version of the car to hit shelves in the near-future.
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