Attention racers,
Event 26 is over, and here are the abridged results, with full results and more on the event sheet.
PHLS#27 officially starts now. Yes, you’re going to need a 10-second car for this one.
The Supra
The Toyota Supra started as a more powerful version of the Celica liftback, a grand coupe, combining performance and comfort, before becoming its own model with the third generation. Today we know it thanks to its fourth generation, though at the time it wasn’t the success story you might think it was.
In the late 80s, Japanese automakers shook hands on a “gentlemen’s agreement” to prevent Japanese lawmakers regulating their business. They took the 280hp of the Nissan Z32 and pinky-swore they wouldn’t make a more powerful car than that. Despite only loosely following their own rules (officially 280hp in Japan, but somehow 320hp in Europe), the Supra MkIV was still down on power compared to top European competitors, not particularly light on its feet, and its price wasn’t especially competitive. The Supra wasn’t a best-seller, and wasn’t worth very much on the second-hand market either.
It only became an icon after its production run ended. You probably know the scene. The Fast and the Furious. Brian O’Connor rolling in with a trashed 1994 Mark IV Supra targa top. “Pop the hood”. Under it, the holy grail. Straight-six, 24 valves, 2JZ. “This will decimate all.” And for good reason.
While Japanese automakers limited the output of its engine to 280hp (on paper), they knew Japanese drivers wanted more, and that they’d get their bottoms kicked by foreign manufacturers who agreed to no such limitation. The solution that Toyota chose was to put a relatively small engine in a large engine bay, with a cast iron block perfectly designed to take way more power than the stock 280. In real life just like in the movies, the 2JZ was just begging to get a 1000hp prep.
The Supra MkIV is a fine car. It’s its engine that’s out of this world. And in that spirit, bring your craziest builds to the track.
Full details, past results, and voting for events 28 and 29 up in the top post.