Nissan's all-new Z sports model arrived in the market to steal the Toyota Supra’s thunder, and it's capable of throwing a serious punch at it courtesy of the Nismo version. But while Nissan has the upper ground, it won't hold on to it much longer, as Toyota is working on a sportier variant of the Supra.
Christened the Toyota Supra GRMN, we caught a first glimpse of it last week when a prototype was caught doing its thing on the roads of Germany. More recently, our spy photographers sent a fresh batch of scoops to our inbox, and we couldn't just add them to the previous story and call it a day, as we get to see it attacking the Nurburgring.
Moreover, some of the things that make it more special compared to all other variants of the latest-gen Supra are also visible from up close. Here, we can mention the canards decorating the front bumper, the apron, and the rear spoiler. Cross-drilled brake discs hugged by the red brake calipers can be seen at both axles, and a set of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 2 rubber was wrapped around the Y-spoke alloys.
Courtesy of these goodies, the apparent lower ground clearance, and the colorful camouflage applied to the front and rear ends of the car, it certainly stands out even more. But what truly makes it shine is the BMW M-sourced powertrain. It is likely that we are looking at a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six unit.
Some say it is the same lump powering the base M3, where it produces 473 hp (480 ps/353 kW), whereas others believe it might actually be the lesser unit from the smaller M2. If that's the case, then look for a 20-horsepower handicap over the former, as it is good for 453 hp (460 ps/338 kW). Chances are it will come with a standard six-speed manual and an optional eight-speed automatic transmission.
Whatever the case may be, it will pack more than the current range-topper of the series, which enjoys BMW's 3.0-liter six-pot producing 382 hp (387 ps/285 kW) and 368 lb-ft (499 Nm) of torque. The GR Supra 3.0 needs 3.9 seconds to sprint to 60 mph (97 kph) en route to a 155 mph (250 kph) top speed, which is identical to the latest M2 and two-tenths quicker than the base M3.
It will be interesting to see what powers the Supra GRMN, whose suffix stands for Gazoo Racing Masters of the Nurburgring. Mind you, the M could be synonymous with BMW M, in this case, considering that it packs a lump developed by the Munich auto marque's M Division. The unveiling will probably take place sometime next year, and it might arrive in showrooms as a 2025 model.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News