TOYOTA SUPRA GAINS A V-8 ENGINE AND WILL GO RACING IN AUSTRALIA
- Toyota will enter the Supra in the Supercars Championship starting in 2026.
- The Supra race car will be powered by the 2UR-GSE V-8 engine, previously found in the Lexus IS F, RC F, GS F, and LC500 coupe.
- Early clay models of the race car show more extreme aerodynamics and sweet side-exit exhausts.
The Toyota Supra earned its legendary reputation on the back of the 2JZ inline-six engine, which motivated the A80-generation Supra of the 1990s and made it a favorite for tuners looking to easily crank out big power. When the Supra nameplate returned in 2020, it came with BMW's stout 3.0-liter inline-six. But now Toyota is preparing to stuff a burly V-8 engine under the Supra's hood, as Toyota's Australian arm has announced that it will join the Supercars Championship in 2026 with the sleek sports coupe.
Few details are known about the GR Supra race car at the moment, but Toyota did say the race car's engine will be the 2UR-GSE all-aluminum quad-cam V-8. The 5.0-liter engine has been used in production road cars including the Lexus IS F, RC F, GS F, LC500, and IS500 F-Sport Performance. It was also found under the hood of the Hilux pickup truck that conquered the Dakar rally at the hands of Nasser Al-Attiyah in 2019.
Toyota showed some renderings and a clay model that suggest what the race car might look like, with a sizable rear wing hanging off the rear decklid and a pair of shiny chrome exhaust pipes poking out from under the side doors. The Supra race car also features a more extreme front splitter with large air intakes in the front bumper and a cutout portion in the hood that could be the engine cover for the V-8.
Toyota has been considering the Supercars Championship for more than 20 years, the brand said, and has committed to racing in the series for at least five years. Toyota says that it will enter at least four GR Supras in the series. Walkinshaw Andretti United, Toyota's homologation team partner, will field two of the cars with drivers Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood. We can't wait to hear the V-8-powered Supra rip around Australian racetracks like Bathurst's Mount Panorama Circuit.
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