After years of teases, the 2020 Toyota Supra has finally hit showrooms. But Toyota isn’t stopping there. After revealing the Supra itself, Toyota unveiled a concept racing version at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Toyota has now confirmed plans to put that car — the GR Supra GT4 — into production and sell it to race teams beginning in 2020.
The Supra already races: it made its debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series earlier this year. But the NASCAR racer is a Supra in name only. Like all NASCAR machines, it’s based on a custom chassis that shares nothing with a production car except superficial styling details. The GT4, in contrast, is a true race-ready Supra that is actually based on the road car.
GT4 is a racing class comprised of lightly modified road cars. The class was created as a lower-cost entry point to racing for drivers who don’t have factory backing or major sponsors. Because modifications are limited to keep costs down, the cars also bear a fairly close resemblance to the ones race fans see on the road.
GT4 originated in Europe, but cars now race in the United States in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Blancpain GT World Challenge America. In those series, the Supra will do battle with everything from Ford Mustangs to Mercedes-AMG GTs on track.
The GT4 class’ emphasis on stock-appearing cars is reflected in the Supra GT4. Aside from a big front splitter, wing-like rear spoiler, and a spiffy racing livery (teams will get to apply their own, naturally), the car doesn’t look that different from a stock Supra. Typically for the race car, the interior was gutted to save weight and to make room for safety equipment like a roll cage. The race car uses the same BMW-sourced 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six as the stock Supra. The engine is turned to produce 430 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, compared to 335 hp and 365 lb-ft in the U.S.-spec version of the Supra. A seven-speed automatic transmission replaces the stock eight-speed automatic.
Toyota plans to begin sales of the GR Supra GT4 to race teams in Europe in March 2020. Sales will expand to North America in August 2020, and Asia in October 2020. Toyota didn’t reveal pricing, but the GT4 will likely carry a significant premium over a Supra road car, which starts at $50,920. Not every racer will buy their car directly from Toyota: Stephan Papadakis is currently working on a 1,000-hp Supra independently of the factory.
Updated on October 29, 2019: Added confirmation of production, horsepower and torque figures, photos.
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