Tossing a new scrap of meat to the eternally-famished Supra rumor monster, Toyota has supposedly applied for a trademark on the name here in the United States. To twist Mr. Samuel Clemens’s words, reports of the Supra’s return have been greatly exaggerated over the years since the model concluded its 23-year-long run in 2002; concept cars like the hybrid FT-HS coupe of 2007 were believed to have pointed towards a reborn Supra, but nothing ever came of the reports.

More recently, the Toyota-Subaru joint coupe project seemed likely to quash any chances of a return for Toyota’s beloved sports car, but if recent murmurs that the FT-86 will only be coming here as a Scion are correct, it’s possible there could be room for a new Supra on the Toyota side of the lineup. There’s also a chance the name could return in a new capacity—possibly as a honorific for a special trim level of a future hybrid sports car, according to insiders. [via Motor Trend]

Pictured: 1994 Toyota Supra