Photo: Toyota
Revealed in January 2019, the fifth-gen Supra marked the return of this coveted nameplate after a 17-year absence. Criticized for many things, including fake vents, the J29 wouldn’t have been possible without BMW.
Based on a dedicated sports car platform derived from the CLAR of everything from the 2 Series Coupe to the 8 Series, the GR Supra is rightfully considered the coupe-styled twin of the rag-topped Z4. This relationship, as well as the BMW-sourced engine options, led to many boos and hisses from loyalists who don’t consider the GR a proper Supra.
The naysayers may want to step back and look at the J29 from a wider perspective. Sports cars haven’t been selling too well for quite a few years now. Toyota partnered up with BMW in order to cut back on development costs, a move that enabled the Bavarian automaker to redesign the Z4. Early in the development process, Toyota and BMW engineers went their separate ways. The fine-tuning was done 100 percent independently, which explains why the Supra and Z4 feel so different from one another.
Produced in Austria by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, the Supra and Z4 both feature the B48 four-cylinder turbo as the standard engine and the optional B58 six-cylinder turbo. 194 to 255 horsepower is the crankshaft rating of the 2.0-liter unit, whereas the 3.0-liter mill can be pushed to 382 ponies.
The B58 in the Supra and Z4 is widely known for making a little bit more horsepower and torque compared to the advertised figures. Available with either an eight-speed automatic or a Supra-only manual transmission, the B58 is the building block for the M-specific S58 used in the M3 and M4.
BMW currently uses the S58 in the aforementioned models, as well as the X3 M and X4 M. Rumors dating back to 2018 suggested that BMW agreed to sell this engine to Toyota for a high-performance variant of the Supra, which is tentatively dubbed GRMN. Expected with functional vents and a huge rear wing similar to the design study in the photo gallery, the Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring will reportedly debut in the spring of 2023, most likely as a limited-run special edition for the 2024 model year.
Best Car understands that it’s packing a seven-speed DCT instead of the aforementioned torque-converter automatic and manual transmissions, which is weird given that BMW stopped using the Getrag-supplied DCT after the switch to CLAR for the 2 Series Coupe, 3er, 4er, X3, and X4.
The cited publication understands that 550 ps are in the offing, most likely referring to the 551-ps engine of the M4 CSL. That figure converts to 543 horsepower, and peak torque is estimated at 650 Nm (479 pound-feet). Best Car also understands the GRMN will be the most extreme iteration of the Supra, and that the J29 is due to be discontinued sometime in 2025.
The naysayers may want to step back and look at the J29 from a wider perspective. Sports cars haven’t been selling too well for quite a few years now. Toyota partnered up with BMW in order to cut back on development costs, a move that enabled the Bavarian automaker to redesign the Z4. Early in the development process, Toyota and BMW engineers went their separate ways. The fine-tuning was done 100 percent independently, which explains why the Supra and Z4 feel so different from one another.
Produced in Austria by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr, the Supra and Z4 both feature the B48 four-cylinder turbo as the standard engine and the optional B58 six-cylinder turbo. 194 to 255 horsepower is the crankshaft rating of the 2.0-liter unit, whereas the 3.0-liter mill can be pushed to 382 ponies.
The B58 in the Supra and Z4 is widely known for making a little bit more horsepower and torque compared to the advertised figures. Available with either an eight-speed automatic or a Supra-only manual transmission, the B58 is the building block for the M-specific S58 used in the M3 and M4.
BMW currently uses the S58 in the aforementioned models, as well as the X3 M and X4 M. Rumors dating back to 2018 suggested that BMW agreed to sell this engine to Toyota for a high-performance variant of the Supra, which is tentatively dubbed GRMN. Expected with functional vents and a huge rear wing similar to the design study in the photo gallery, the Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring will reportedly debut in the spring of 2023, most likely as a limited-run special edition for the 2024 model year.
Best Car understands that it’s packing a seven-speed DCT instead of the aforementioned torque-converter automatic and manual transmissions, which is weird given that BMW stopped using the Getrag-supplied DCT after the switch to CLAR for the 2 Series Coupe, 3er, 4er, X3, and X4.
The cited publication understands that 550 ps are in the offing, most likely referring to the 551-ps engine of the M4 CSL. That figure converts to 543 horsepower, and peak torque is estimated at 650 Nm (479 pound-feet). Best Car also understands the GRMN will be the most extreme iteration of the Supra, and that the J29 is due to be discontinued sometime in 2025.
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