Harder, faster Supra GRMN in the works

A HARDER, lighter, and faster Toyota Supra is on its way, according to the car’s chief architect.

Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of both the Toyota 86 and reborn Supra confirmed to TopGear.com a more focussed Supra could be in the works.

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Gazoo Racing, which Tada-san heads up, will be responsible for the work, with the end result likely to be badged as a Supra GRMN.

“At some point I would like to make a track-limited Supra with less weight,” Tada told TopGear.com.

Tada indicated that work already conducted on a racing version of the Supra has shown that the more hardcore version may not need a significant power bump to thrill drivers.

“We know if you take out 100kg it’s a completely different car – you don’t even need any more power,” he explained.

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Wheels understands the new Supra will have a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six engine sourced from BMW, with power to sit somewhere between 225-250kW and torque peaking between 450-500Nm. With the car expected to be of similar size to Toyota’s current RWD sports car, the 86, that should be plenty of grunt. A less powerful variant, likely powered by BMW’s B48 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with a 195kW tune, is also expected to be part of the A90 Supra’s range.

Wheels is currently in Spain driving a prototype of the new Supra, which was developed jointly with BMW’s new Z4 roadster. We will have a full review coming later this week.

Tada-san says the dynamic benchmark for the new Supra is the Porsche Cayman, with Toyota even initially evaluating a mid-engine design for the cult hero.

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“The Cayman has the advantage with its engine positioning but I’ve driven the cars back-to-back on track and we’re definitely in the same zone,” Tada said.

“We stuck with front engine because of feel and control. We know how to control a front-engine car, we already have that capability. In the planning stages we suggested a mid-engined layout and BMW was happy to go with it, but I took the idea to Akio Toyoda and he told me off.”

Gazoo and Toyota are still deciding if the more focussed Supra GRMN will be restricted to a track-only toy, or be able to wear numberplates.

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“We’re investigating both avenues, there’s always a trade-off because being road-legal brings restrictions,” Tada added.

The Supra’s chief engineer also enthused about his eagerness to see the car compete in motorsport around the world.

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Toyota will run the Supra in NASCAR’s second-tier XFINITY series, however there is almost no link to the road car, with styling cues painted onto a stockcar body, with an old school V8 under the hood.

Japan’s SuperGT would be a logical home for the Supra, likely in the GT3-esque GT300 class. Toyota’s luxury arm Lexus already fields the LC500 coupe in the flagship GT500 class against the Honda NSX and Nissan GT-R. If built to GT300 regulations, a leap to GTE wouldn’t be a stretch, allowing the Supra to race at Le Mans against the likes of the Porsche 911 RSR and Ferrari 488.