New Toyota Supra GRMN with big wing could get full-fat BMW M engine
Extreme Supra GRMN is on the way, and it’s been spied testing in Germany
The long-awaited Toyota Supra GRMN has been spotted putting in some laps on the Nürburgring Nordschleife race track, as the ultimate high-performance variant of Toyota’s two-seater sports car is readied to take on an array of elite track-focused sports cars, including the Alpine A110 R, Porsche Cayman GT4 and the incoming BMW M2 CS.
Obvious visual changes for the Supra GRMN will include a new bonnet with cooling ducts, more aggressive aero around the front splitter and a ‘swan neck’ rear wing. But look closer and you’ll also see a new lightweight wheel design wrapped in Michelin rubber, plus a bigger set of brakes.
The more focused Supra will get some serious chassis upgrades and appears to sit lower on its suspension, which is expected to be totally recalibrated. And of course it will wear Toyota’s GRMN badge; the abbreviation stands for “Gazoo Racing tuned by Meisters of the Nürburgring.”
What’s hiding underneath the clamshell bonnet is still a mystery, but the Supra’s BMW-derived underpinnings could mean it will feature an engine from the German firm’s famed M division for the first time.
As it stands, the six-cylinder GR Supra currently features a 334bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine with the B58 designation. This engine is used in a variety of BMW models from the M340i saloon to the X7 SUV, but there has been widespread speculation that the GRMN will finally adopt a full-fat M motor.
The engine in question is likely to be the S58 unit currently in use in the M2, M3 and M4 models. In its least aggressive tune, it produces 454bhp, with further 523bhp and 542bhp outputs also available further up the range. Yet which of these will be utilised – or if it’ll mirror a BMW M tune at all – is still unknown.
The existing GR Supra is available with both a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, with the former being torque-limited, which could decide its availability in the GRMN. In any case it will work with an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential and create a far more capable dynamic package.
The Supra GRMN should be launched later this year, but its availability here in the UK and its potential price point are still to be determined.
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