God Doesn’t Wait
When the MkIV Supra left this earth in 1998, car folks everywhere began clamoring for a replacement. They would have to wait 21 years – an eternity in the automotive world – but the MkV was a worthy successor: a turbocharged DOHC inline-six making 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, nearly 50/50 weight distribution, a curb weight below 3,400 lbs, and 30 mpg efficiency on the highway. It was a group effort, with BMW designing the engine, Toyota designing the chassis, and a committee of sugar-high juveniles designing the body. This particular car was not possible in the 20th century.
Think of all the things that had to happen for the MkV Supra to become a reality:
BMW had to get good at turbocharging. That didn’t happen until the E92 3-series. Developing a sports car engine would have been an expensive investment for Toyota that would have made the MkV even more costly.
Personal luxury coupes had to die out. If the luxury coupe segment of the ‘90s (Lincoln MkVIII, Acura Legend) and ‘00s (Cadillac CTS) was still robust, Toyota may have been tempted to build a competitor, and the MkV could have been a boat.
Toyota had to become hated among car folks. For long, miserable years, Toyota didn’t offer anything tasty enough to satisfy the sporty palette it had developed in enthusiasts throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. By 2019, Toyota had a negative reputation to challenge. They were ready to put up a fight, and invest in the Supra again.
Thus, that silent period for car folks wasn’t silent at all around Toyota HQ. It was necessary.
That gap is actually a lot like the 400-year span between the last prophet who spoke of Jesus (Malachi) and the prophecy of John the Baptist – that gap in your Bible between the Old and New Testaments. Scholars call it “The Intertestamental Period. God’s people called it “misery.” But to God, it was perfect timing:
The Roman Empire was becoming massively powerful, and God’s people were dispersed through the region for the first time in their history. Yet these strongholds became the early churches that early apostles of Jesus visited and wrote letters to, and soon they became outposts for spreading the Gospel.
Alexander the Great was suppressing other cultures and mandating Greek as a common language. Yet this gave new believers an easy way to share Jesus’ life and message with hundreds of thousands of people.
Wars and oppression left God’s people hiding in exile. Yet while they were together with nothing to do, they translated the Torah (the five books of Moses) into Greek. This was the first Bible for countless people in the surrounding regions – including Jews – who only knew Greek.
Thousands of miles of roads were built, usually by slave labor. Yet early missionaries walked on these roads, carrying a message of freedom, redemption, purpose, and perfect timing:
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
While you wait, God works. While you’re anxious, God acts. While you’re doubting, God is already delivering. He’s putting pieces in place that you never would have expected. Think of the MkV Supra. A BMW engine in a Supra would have been a joke in 1998. But by 2019, it almost seemed inevitable. It was just a matter of time.
Toyota launched the MKV Supra with one transmission option: an automatic of some kind. It was fine, and helped the car nip 60 mph in just under four seconds. An automatic transmission just doesn’t belong in a Supra though. So Toyota released a 6-speed… after three agonizing years. Was it worth the wait? It all depends on your understanding of waiting.
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