If news of a 450hp Toyota GR Supra from a well-known tuner sounds spookily familiar, that's because the Manhart GR450 is not the first of its kind. Toward the end of 2019, approximately 46 months ago, PH tried both the Litchfield and Auto Torque takes on Toyota's comeback kid. So this isn't perhaps as ground-breaking as it might have been, but given the Supra's reputation was forged through modification it's hardly a surprise. And another fast sports car made faster is good news in our books.
Manhart's Supra work unsurprisingly builds on its upgrade for the G29 Z4 with which so much is shared; for the BMW 440hp and 457lb ft were extracted from the B58 straight-six, figures that have now improved to 450hp and 479lb ft for the GR450. They're chunky gains from the standard 340hp and 369lb ft, especially so given this is all on a standard engine: if this is what can happen with Manhart ECU work and an exhaust, imagine it with a bigger turbo and whatnot. In fact, YouTube can tell you all about those now, and suffice it to say they look quite entertaining.
Perhaps of just as much interest is the chassis work on the GR Supra. Out have gone the standard adaptive dampers of a GR Pro, replaced by H&R springs alongside KW V3 coilovers with Manhart's in-house set up. The new wheels are also Manhart's own, 20-inches in diameter at each corner.
Unlike the recently announced Golf RS450, Manhart will make as many of these GR450 Supras as there is customer demand for. Despite some rather iffy visuals, it's easy to imagine the combination of Manhart's reputation with the performance of 450hp finding a willing audience. Don't forget, either, that Manhart are the people who will sell you an 800hp M5 and a 600hp X3 - there's plenty more where this Supra came from. Let's hope it's soon...
1 / 3