GR Supra

Make
Toyota
Segment
Coupe

When Toyota first launched the Supra name in 1978, it did well for the couple of decades. But, it's the 4th generation Supra that started life in 1993 and earned its iconic status as a tuner car capable of making over 1,000 horsepower easily from its 2JZ engine. The word easily is often misapplied to the JJZ engine, however, due to the overbuilt nature of the 2JZ engine, a lot of power could be added before internal components needed to be upgraded. And, relative to a lot of engines, 1000 horsepower was easily attainable and not uncommon at drag strips in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

One of the big questions hanging over the new Toyota Supra is in how closely it relates to the 4th generation Supra as a tuner car. We've already seen firsthand that Toyota and co-developer BMW has left room for the chassis to be upgraded, but the engine has been an unknown quantity for tuning to big horsepower. Until now.

One of the major criticisms of the Supra has been the use of a BMW straight-6 engine, specifically the B58 which has been around a few years now. BMW nerds familiar with the engine will know what's coming while those more into their Japanese sports cars are about to get a pleasant surprise from this Papadakis Racing video. The tuners tear a B58 engine down to see how much work it's going to take them to build a 1,000 horsepower Supra.

The short version is that the B58 is a closed deck engine. The term open, semi-closed, or closed block refers to the space between the cylinder wall and the block itself being open. Closed means the space is essentially closed in, apart from holes that allow coolant to flow to the cylinder heads. The gain from that is a lot of strength and support for the cylinders when the engine is modified for big power. A jump from 335 horsepower stock to over 1000 horsepower is definitely big power, and the closed block setup means it can be made a reality.

On the flip side, the B58 is a complex engine. A lot of that is down to modern performance technology and having to meet emissions standards. The exhaust manifold is built internally, which isn't the end of the world, but the intake with built in intercooler is plastic and will need upgrading. However, with the stock bottom end being so strong, it means that we will likely be seeing 1000 horsepower Supra's regularly. Once the aftermarket starts building and selling kits it's likely the new Supra's BMW engine will hold several candles to the 2JZ of old over the long run.