{"id":540981,"date":"2026-07-14T13:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/540981\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:03:14","slug":"toyota-built-a-supra-powered-by-the-lexus-lc500s-v8-but-theres-one-big-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/540981\/","title":{"rendered":"Toyota Built A Supra Powered By The Lexus LC500’s V8, But There’s One Big Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Toyota Supra<\/a> with a V8 engine is one of those ultra-rare unicorns, like a Wankel-engined Corvette<\/a> or a coherent Adam Sandler script, that, while intriguing on paper, is unlikely to ever become a reality. Indeed, with production of the current GR Supra already done, and the feisty four-cylinder example having already bit the dust, the reality of a V8-powered GR Supra looked dead in the water heading into 2026.<\/p>\n

Except, Toyota has already developed, and debuted, a V8-powered Supra. One powered by the uproarious 5.0-liter eight-cylinder engine borrowed from sister brand\u2019s Lexus\u2019 LC 500 sports coupe, no less. Unfortunately for JDM fans in the United States, it definitely won\u2019t be coming your way anytime soon, because\u2026<\/p>\n

This V8 Supra Was Developed Exclusively For Australia<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra. Australian Supercar. Race car. Launch. UnveilingToyota<\/p>\n

Yes, really. Albeit not in the way you might think. Back in September 2024, the Japanese brand announced that, after 20 years of teasing, it would enter the pinnacle of Australian motorsport, ie supercars. In doing so, Toyota<\/a> \u2013 which would be going head-to-head on-track with key regional rivals Ford and General Motors \u2013 would also make its long-awaited debut at the Bathurst 1000, essentially Australia\u2019s equivalent to Le Mans and Wrestlemania.<\/p>\n

Toyota would not, however, be doing so with a road-going Supra chassis quickly thrown together for track-use. Far from it, in fact. The newly christened “GR Supra Supercar” would actually be developed from the ground-up around the Supercar series\u2019 brand-new Gen3 chassis, introduced for the 2023 season, over the course of 18 grueling months. A program that, as it turns out, was far more complicated than even Toyota anticipated.<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra Final Edition front shotToyota<\/p>\n

For starters, across Toyota Australia\u2019s road car fleet, only the Supra could be modified to fit Supercars\u2019 new Gen3 chassis. And even that would be tight, given that the Gen3 had been developed with Fastback models like Ford\u2019s Mustang S650 and Chevrolet\u2019s sixth-generation Camaro in-mind \u2013 both of which were already confirmed for the 2026 season \u2013 rather than a standard coupe.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the Supra, Toyota\u2019s only conceivable Australian Supercar for 2026 (sadly, the Land Cruiser 70 ute was never in contention), ended up being too short, too narrow and with incompatible overhangs to fit the Gen3 chassis safely. On top of that, to ensure technical parity across all competitors, each official OEM entry would need to boast the same drag, the same downforce, and the same engine output, making heavy modifications to the bodywork even harder.<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra Final Edition rear shotToyota<\/p>\n

The solution, bizarrely, was found with the slightly larger “Future Toyota 1” concept<\/a> unveiled in 2014, from which the production A90 Supra was developed. By sheer coincidence, the FT1, give or take some fine-tuning, had the “Fastback” proportions Toyota was looking for. And so it was that a re-designed FT1, was built, panel-by-panel, around the Gen3 chassis and FIA-approved roll cage. Throw in a newly developed rear spoiler, a larger front splitter, more air-efficient bodywork, a wider rear track, and larger wheels, and Toyota, eventually, had a “Supra” ready to go racing. Bar just one crucial component\u2026<\/p>\n

The V8 That Powers This “Supra”<\/p>\n

\"Lexus
\n 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8 engine. Toyota. Lexus FToyota<\/p>\n

Early doors, Toyota\u2019s motorsport powers-that-be discussed adapting the GR Supra road car\u2019s existing B58 six-cylinder to meet Supercars\u2019 technical regulations, though this was quickly abandoned (the 3.0-liter being sourced from BMW just added further complications). No, what Toyota needed, like its new Ford<\/a> and Chevy<\/a> rivals, was an OEM V8 built in-house, and ideally one with prior racing experience.<\/p>\n

Unlike the bodywork, this conundrum was much more straightforward, as Toyota\u2019s “2UR GSE” V8 was plucked from sister brand Lexus<\/a>\u2019 RC F GT3. Variants of the GT3 had done gangbusters both in Japan\u2019s Super GT racing series, and, later, North America\u2019s IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, thanks in no small part to the eight-cylinder savage right hook. Indeed, in Lexus\u2019 road-going RC F<\/a>, the LC 500<\/a> and the IS 500 F-Sport, Toyota’s most powerful V8<\/a> produced up to 472 hp, up to 398-lb-ft of torque, and only tapped out at 168 mph. Grunt, most certainly, would not be an issue.<\/p>\n

Engineering The V8 To Meet Regulations<\/p>\n

Simply slotting the 2UR GSE into the FT1\/Supra, however, wasn\u2019t an option. Australian Supercar regulations, for example, required all OEM engine capacity to be between 5.0-liter and 5.7-liter, something Ford\u2019s quad-cam 5.4-liter Coyote and Chevy\u2019s single-cam 5.7-liter GM did comfortably.<\/p>\n

To match the power of which its American rivals was capable, significant time was spent boring out Toyota\u2019s 2UR bottom end to 5.2-liters with quad cams (the block, main caps, timing chain and Yamaha-developed cylinder heads were retained from the road car).<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra. Australian Supercars. Race car. Motion. On-trackToyota<\/p>\n

Components were designed and built in both Australia and the UK, while additional wind tunnel and dyno work was also conducted in the United States. While the logistics involved may sound like Toyota was making life difficult for itself, it actually allowed the project to work around the clock.<\/p>\n

The V8 Supra\u2019s first official track test<\/a>, for example, after an initial shakedown and the GR Supra Supercars\u2019 much-anticipated media reveal, took place 170 days before its competitive debut. Results were sent to technical partner Swindon Powertrains in the UK for analysis overnight, while the actual build was done by Toyota\u2019s homologation partner Walkinshaw TWG Racing in Melbourne. Development, quite literally, didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n

The Outlier(s) In The Supra\u2019s Engine History<\/p>\n

\"2007
\n 2007 Toyota Supra GT500. Race car. Front, three-quartersToyota<\/p>\n

Admittedly, while this is not the first time that a factory Toyota Supra has been powered by a V8 engine \u2013 Toyota\u2019s eight-cylinder Supra GT300 (with 5.4L 2UR-GSE V8) has competed in Japan since 2021 \u2013 this nevertheless marks a sharp contrast to the sports coupe\u2019s tenured, and some might even say ever-lasting, association with four and six-cylinder powerplants.<\/p>\n

The first-generation A40\/A50 Supra, for example, debuted in 1978 with a 110-hp, 2.6-liter straight-six borrowed from the Celica. Capacity was upped to 2.8 liters with the 5M-GE-powered A60 for 1981, while the third-generation A70 introduced turbocharging and, for the first time, a 3.0-liter capacity with the 230-hp-capable 7M-GTE six-cylinder from 1986 onward.<\/p>\n

\"MK
\n MK IV A80 Toyota Supra Side View Studio PhotoToyota<\/p>\n

Few model-engine partnerships have proven as evocative, though, as the high-revving, hard-working 2JZ-GTE twin-turbo inline-six aboard the fourth generation A80 that arrived in 1993. A package capable of up to 320 hp (276 hp in Japan) and oft-considered the best Supra of them all. A pairing so legendary, in fact, that it took nearly two decades for its replacement \u2013 the fifth-generation, 3.0-liter BMW<\/a> turbo straight-six-powered A90 \u2013 to finally arrive. Ironically, should a V8-powered Supra road car actually make production, most JDM fans, though intrigued, would probably riot at such sacrilege.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Expect A Road-Going Toyota Supra Anytime Soon<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra. Australian Supercars. Race car. Motion. On-track. Front, three-quartersToyota<\/p>\n

Not that it\u2019s likely to happen anytime soon, of course. Toyota\u2019s Supercar program, after all, is just one part of a big push for the Japanese marque in the Antipodean market (give or take an unorthodox approach to car thefts<\/a>) as sales continue improving year-on-year. Also, and unlike the more high-profile World Endurance Championship, which requires automakers to produce at least 20 road-legal examples of their LMH racers, Australian Supercars requires only that all entries \u201cstrongly resemble\u201d their production car counterparts in both size and styling. Consequently, a rushed, 200-unit homologation V8 road car won\u2019t be happening anytime soon.<\/p>\n

The gradual dissolution of eight-cylinder engines for more efficient, turbocharged six-cylinders to meet ever-tightening emissions regulations, particularly in Europe, also makes this tricky (it\u2019s a key reason why the GR86 won\u2019t make it to a third generation). And while Toyota does have an eight-cylinder in the works, rumors abound that this is being reserved<\/a> for the spiritual successor to the LFA, a prototype version of which was rolled out last year at Goodwood<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"2026
\n 2026 Toyota GR Supra. Australian Supercars. Race car. Launch. Front, three-quartersToyota<\/p>\n

On top of all that, Toyota was put through the ringer for its “scandalous,” albeit budget-conscious collaboration with BMW on the A90, which saw both the Supra and the latest \u2018G29\u2019 Z4 boast the same engine and most of the same underpinnings. The Japanese marque will almost certainly want to hammer home that lauded Supra-six-cylinder connection when the next Supra inevitably arrives down the line. Of course, given the 18-year gap between the fourth and fifth generations, that could be a while yet. Looks like this Australian-built, V8-powered FT1\/Supra is the best North American JDM fans can hope for until then. Even if they can\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n

You Can Hope For A Celica<\/p>\n

\"toyota
\n toyota celica st205 gt four front white on a narrow streetWikimedia Commons:\u00a0Krzysztof Golik<\/p>\n

Toyota shocked the world a little while ago with an all-new Celica teaser. While testing for the upcoming 2027 World Rally Championship, an all-new sports car prototype was spotted<\/a>. Toyota wouldn’t build an entirely new car just to go racing, and it does have a history of going racing with a car first, and then introducing it to the public. The GR Yaris is a prime example.<\/p>\n

The Celica is an extremely special car, and will likely be more appealing to the average person. It has always been a fun car and it has some serious racing heritage. We might never get a V8 Supra, but the new Celica is a decent consolatio prize.<\/p>\n

Source: Toyota Australia \/ Supercars \/ Racecar Engineering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Toyota Supra with a V8 engine is one of those ultra-rare unicorns, like a Wankel-engined Corvette or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85,46,125],"class_list":["post-540981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/540982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}