Toyota Cars
JDM · 42 models
Toyota built its reputation on cars that always work, then quietly built some of the best driver cars of the past 50 years.
JDMToyota is the largest car manufacturer in the world by volume, and that scale tends to overshadow what is actually a deep performance bench. The Supra A80 became a tuner icon on the strength of its 2JZ-GTE inline six. The AE86 Corolla GT-S launched the modern drift scene through Initial D and the actual touge it depicted. The MR2 went through three generations of mid-engined experimentation. The Land Cruiser earned a reputation in the African and Australian outback that rivals Defenders and Wranglers, and beats both on longevity. The 2JZ deserves its own paragraph. The naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE is durable. The twin-turbo 2JZ-GTE in the Supra Turbo is one of the strongest stock engine blocks ever produced, capable of holding 800+ horsepower on factory internals when supporting modifications are right. That single fact made the A80 Supra one of the most modified cars in tuner history. In the modern era, the GR (Gazoo Racing) sub-brand pulled Toyota back into proper driver cars. The GR Yaris is a homologation special with a bespoke three-cylinder turbo and a chassis that won a WRC championship. The GR Corolla brings the same powertrain to North America. The new GR Supra (A90) is a BMW Z4 underneath but tuned by Toyota engineers for a different character. On WhipJury, Toyota submissions cover the whole spectrum: clean stock A80 Supras, drift-prepped AE86s, lifted overland Land Cruisers, and modern GR hatches still wearing their factory paint. Browse the leaderboard and model pages to find specific examples.
Top Toyota cars on WhipJury
Toyota models we cover
Toyota performance, decade by decade
1960s and 1970s. The Corolla launches in 1966 and becomes the world best-selling car. The 2000GT (1967) is Toyota first halo car, hand-built in tiny numbers and now worth millions.
1980s. The AE86 Corolla GT-S, the first MR2, the Celica All-Trac Turbo, and the Supra MK3 establish Toyota performance credentials. The Land Cruiser 60-series cements the off-road reputation.
1990s. The peak years. The Supra A80, the SW20 MR2 Turbo, the JZA70 Supra Turbo, the AW11 MR2 Supercharged, and the 80-series Land Cruiser are all built in this decade. The 2JZ becomes legend.
2000s. Toyota goes quiet on performance for most of the decade. The MR2 Spyder is the only sports car. The Tundra and Tacoma carry the truck flag. Lexus picks up the halo-car role with the IS F.
2010s and beyond. The 86/GR86 (with Subaru) reintroduces affordable rear-drive fun. The GR Supra returns. The GR Yaris and GR Corolla bring genuine homologation specials back to the lineup.
The 2JZ phenomenon
It is hard to overstate what the 2JZ-GTE did for tuner culture. The block is iron, the head is closed-deck, the rotating assembly is over-engineered for the factory power level, and the architecture responds well to a larger turbocharger and supporting fuel system upgrades. Hundreds of A80 Supras have made over 1,000 horsepower on stock engines. The motor has been swapped into countless other chassis: Lexus IS300s, Nissan 240SXs, BMW E36s, even pickup trucks.
Land Cruiser durability
The 70, 80, and 100-series Land Cruisers are arguably the most durable mass-produced vehicles ever built. UN convoys, mining operations, and outback expeditions in Australia run them at high mileage in conditions that would destroy most SUVs. The reputation is why a clean 80-series with 250,000 miles still sells for more than many newer trucks.
Toyota on WhipJury
Toyota is one of the most posted makes on the platform, second only to Honda in raw count. The leaderboard tends to skew toward A80 Supras, AE86s, GR Corollas, and 4Runners, but you will find Tacomas, Land Cruisers, Camrys with proper LSD swaps, and the occasional 2000GT replica. The voting community here knows the model lineage well, so accurate spec descriptions tend to do well in duels.
