Friday 28th October 2022

Toyota GR introduces Supra GT4 Evo for 2023

The Supra race car already has 100 podiums under its belt - now Toyota wants it to be faster still

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There’s nothing like using ‘Evolution’ in a name to get car enthusiasts hot under the collar. Whether Lancia Delta Integrale or Lamborghini Huracan, Mercedes 190E or Mitsubishi Lancer, ‘Evo’ implies meticulous development and honing of what - generally speaking - are already very good road or race cars. Think of the bad cars with Evolution in their name - exactly. Now there’s a new one to add to the roster: the Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo.

In a fiercely competitive motorsport class, the original GT4 Supra proved itself more than capable, with victories in 11 national and international championships. In Japan, the US and Europe, it’s racked up more than 100 podium finishes since 2020, which is pretty good going. As such the Evo upgrade is about finessing what seems to be a sorted package, and responding to customer feedback to make a better racer for 2023.

Brakes, handling and engine are said to be the key areas of improvement. The Evo gets the latest dampers from KW and a new anti-roll bar spec, meaning ‘improved handling and higher cornering speeds’. Toyota says the brake system design is ‘improved’, and the ABS has been revised as well. Though Balance of Performance will have a say on exact output round to round, tweaks to the 3.0-litre straight six turbo ought to bring ‘increased power and an optimised torque curve’; upgraded cooling should help in longer races.

And if the promise of extra performance doesn’t attract new customers, perhaps the Evo’s look will. A purposeful road car makes for a really dramatic racer from snout to spoiler, even in the less senior GT4 category. This orange wrap is optional, and looks great - best hope the sponsors are happy with the colour as well. Nobody wants to compete in a race car that doesn’t look cool, do they?

Customers new to the Supra GT4 will be asked for €186,000 (£160k) in exchange for an Evo; existing owners will be offered an upgrade kit in due course. Its first competitive outing will be the Daytona 24 in January - adding to the collection of podiums would be one way to mark the debut…

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• Toyota GR86 vs. Mazda MX-5 (ND) Supercharged
• 2022 Toyota GR Supra manual | PH Review

[boholoblanka]

if you pay this, does it entitle you to factory support in terms of optional upgrades rebuilds etc??

[McAndy]

How far removed from their road-based brethren are the GT4 racers? Is a limited run feasible? Given the roll Toyota are on for enthusiasts at the moment (Yaris GR, Corolla GR, GR86), this would be an icing on the 2022 cake for them if they could, and would distance them from the "Z4 in drag" comments I so often see!

[CrippsCorner]

Bit too much going on there, but the splitter, spoiler and in that colour all look great.

[Dr G]

boholoblanka said:

if you pay this, does it entitle you to factory support in terms of optional upgrades rebuilds etc??

You would assume there was a support program from the manufacturer, wouldn't you?

https://www.gr-supra-gt4.com/

That link is on the bottom of the press release but there's little info there currently.

[MightyBadger]

Lovely.

[wpa1975]

Still looks a complete mess styling wise.

[apx7]

boholoblanka said:

if you pay this, does it entitle you to factory support in terms of optional upgrades rebuilds etc??

I believe you get access to a portal and parts catalogue exclusive to the race spec cars.

wpa1975 said:

Still looks a complete mess styling wise.

The unfortunate outcome of having to stretch the styling over a Z4 structure. Still don't understand why they didn't start with the 86 chassis as the basis, and borrow the BMW engine if they were so inclined to use one over one of their own V6 engines.

If there ends up being another Supra after this one I suspect it may be based on the GR86 chassis.

[Six Potter]

I really like the styling of the A90 Supra overall, and like the racy additions here. I'm a suck for the modified Japanese performance car theme. The only thing that disappointed me was all the fake vents on the car, knowing that they're not functional puts a bit of a downer on it.

[donteatpeople]

apx7 said:

Still don't understand why they didn't start with the 86 chassis as the basis

The GT86 wasn’t designed for an engine of that height or length, they couldn’t even package a turbo.

[InfamousK]

The article said said:

There’s nothing like using ‘Evolution’ in a name to get car enthusiasts hot under the collar. Whether Lancia Delta Integrale or Lamborghini Huracan, Mercedes 190E or Mitsubishi Lancer, ‘Evo’ implies meticulous development and honing of what - generally speaking - are already very good road or race cars. Think of the bad cars with Evolution in their name - exactly. Now there’s a new one to add to the roster: the Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo.

The Punto Evo wasn't a good car.

[apx7]

donteatpeople said:

apx7 said:

Still don't understand why they didn't start with the 86 chassis as the basis

The GT86 wasn’t designed for an engine of that height or length, they couldn’t even package a turbo.

I'd call that nonsense for the most part, have run a supercharger and then a turbo on one that sat comfortably and looked near OEM at first glance. Another is currently getting test fitted with a V6 before i drop a V8 in, and a few friends have done the inevitable JZ swaps.

Sure the centre of gravity isn't quite as low as the boxer, but it isn't too significant, the V6 is a little lighter and there's always the option to run a dry sump. But there is a fair amount of space in the engine bay to run most engines.

[BlackRumple]

Dr G said:

You would assume there was a support program from the manufacturer, wouldn't you?

https://www.gr-supra-gt4.com/

That link is on the bottom of the press release but there's little info there currently.

If ordering a GR86 and the corresponding support is anything to go by, the support will be stone silence, ability to order parts but not given any ETA when you will get them and indifferent dealers who will have zero information.

[nismo48]

InfamousK said:

The article said said:

There’s nothing like using ‘Evolution’ in a name to get car enthusiasts hot under the collar. Whether Lancia Delta Integrale or Lamborghini Huracan, Mercedes 190E or Mitsubishi Lancer, ‘Evo’ implies meticulous development and honing of what - generally speaking - are already very good road or race cars. Think of the bad cars with Evolution in their name - exactly. Now there’s a new one to add to the roster: the Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo.

The Punto Evo wasn't a good car.

True...but it was cheaper to run