Toyota Supra GRMN Among Additional Planned Versions Of The Sports Car
The new ‘A90’ Toyota GR Supra doesn’t exactly tear up the sports car rule book, but for anyone wanting something a little more extreme, we have some good news. This version is just a starting point.
“If we had kept this and this alone, then, of course, it would be forgotten in an instant,” Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada told Car Throttle at the launch of the car in Madrid, adding, “We feel that it is important and imperative to give you updates and upgrades every year, otherwise there is no meaning for introducing a sports car.”
Asked if that could include a hardcore GRMN version, Tada-san said: “Yes, of course, we will have to at some stage make that happen.” He has hinted before that such a car could be on the way, and now it’s looking all-but-certain.
The Yaris GRMN is so far the only car to receive the full Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring treatment. It was created from a regular, rather slow Yaris, so it’s not exactly easy to work out how a GRMN conversion would work on an already fast and competent car like the GR Supra.
A more focused suspension setup seems likely, however, as does an increase in power. Could the latter be achieved by switching out the stock Supra’s B58 BMW straight-six for the M2 Competition’s S55? Probably not, but we can but hope.
Speaking of the BMW parts that make up most of the GR Supra - a hotly-debated subject during its launch week - Tada-san also gave an interesting insight into a surprisingly late change made to the platform.
About a year and a half ago, it turned out Toyota’s efforts to reduce the car’s weight had gone somewhat too far. “It turned out that we made the rear so light that it disrupted the balance of the fore-aft weight distribution,” he said, adding, “So we had to go back to BMW to negotiate pulling the engine 50mm more rearwards - that way we could get the optimal [50/50] weight distribution”.
BMW did, in the end, agree. This will have been after the point the Z4 and Supra teams originally parted ways, so it seems the split perhaps wasn’t as complete as we’d previously thought.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
They should put the S58 engine with the new M3’s manual gearbox in the Supra, it’d be amazing
that would be a real Cayman Touring rival
Only if the S58 doesn’t sound as bad as the S55 (if it’s the case then I prefer a N55-reinforced treatment like the M2 aka B58-reinforced). Also, it would be fantastic if they could give us the M2/M3 manual AND the M-DCT (I stay convinced that the ZF8 is one of the biggest flaw of the car).
Manual? For what? Who wants a manual when you can get a sport shift gearbox that shifts much faster? Lol
That’s nice to hear but the bigger question is: Will the new derivatives of the Supra get more power? :P
Factories are already getting screwed by environmental taxes nowadays. Let tuning companies do their job and expect the power from them.
If bmw do it with their performance cars, I can’t see why Toyota won’t
if they call their car masters of Nurburgring do they plan to run VLN with it?
Didn’t Doug Demuro review the GRMN version A90 Supra?
No, that was the launch edition. Comes in white, red or gray, and if you get the white or gray you get red painted mirrors, so it looks like a GRMN but it really isn’t
I hope one of the new versions adds a big wing like the mk4’s
the S55 doesnt pass WLTP regulations, so certainly not
the S58 would but who knows if bmw would allow it
DINAN and AC Schnitzer are ready to get their hands on these things
Can’t wait for the new Supra to get a manual transmission!
Then this will mean more sick mods!
That yellow paintjob, DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN
A 2.4 is also coming for the supra