The New Toyota Supra Should Be Able To Do A 7min 40sec 'Ring Lap

The Toyota GR Supra's chief engineer reckons a respectable Nurburgring Nordschleife lap is possible with the car, but it would need one small modification first...
The New Toyota Supra Should Be Able To Do A 7min 40sec 'Ring Lap

Nurburgring times are bandied around with such frequency, it almost comes as a surprise when a manufacturer isn’t shouting about what time its new performance car can manage at the Green Hell.

That’s perhaps why Road & Track felt the need at the Detroit Auto Show to ask the N-question to Tetsuya Tada, the Toyota GR Supra’s chief engineer. The answer is no, the car hasn’t been out for a proper timed run, but he is confident that it’s capable of putting in a respectable showing, clocking a time well within the eight-minute mark.

There is a caveat, however: on the Nordschleife’s longest straight, the car would almost certainly run into its 155mph electronic limiter. A little ECU jiggery-pokery would be required first.

“One day, perhaps, we cut the speed limiter and try the time attack,” Tada-san said, adding, “On the old course, it’s very easy to break eights—7:50, 7:40. It will do that easily.”

The New Toyota Supra Should Be Able To Do A 7min 40sec 'Ring Lap

Comparing that rough time to other cars is tricky. Check the ‘Ring lap time list and you’ll find plenty of exotica around that ballpark, but the times are from when tyre tech wasn’t quite as good, and before remodeling work sped the track up slightly.

The closest modern effort is the Honda Civic Type R’s 7min 43.8sec lap, but before you complain about a ‘mere’ front-wheel drive hatch being potentially quicker than the Supra, it’s worth pointing out the Honda was on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s. Which you can’t actually option on the car. Cheeky.

The New Toyota Supra Should Be Able To Do A 7min 40sec 'Ring Lap

Sport Auto did take the related new BMW Z4 around in pre-production form, and it managed a 7min 55sec lap. It would make sense that the Supra’s convertible cousin would be slower given the rigidity difference, and Tada-san has previously hinted that its creation would be quite a bit more focused than BMW’s.

Whether or not Toyota will ever go for an official run, we’ll have to wait and see.

Comments

Elliot.J99

Extremely respectable time for a 335hp car

01/18/2019 - 15:29 |
58 | 2
GTRTURTLE 🔰 🐢(Oo \ S K Y L I N E / oO) (Koen

In reply to by Elliot.J99

I bet it could go faster because TOYOTA SUPRA BOOST 💪

01/18/2019 - 15:53 |
20 | 0
Kevin Rivero

I’d like to ask a big unrelated question: What happened to the Comments of the Week/Month?

01/18/2019 - 15:40 |
108 | 0
BenPaye(JDMSquad)(MX5Squad)(LFAsquad)(Subie Squad) (Rotary F

In reply to by Kevin Rivero

Oh shit yh

01/18/2019 - 15:46 |
2 | 2

The CT staff can’t be bothered to make them anymore…

01/18/2019 - 16:29 |
70 | 0

it ruins the comment section, people starve for the weekly shoutout

01/18/2019 - 18:59 |
16 | 6
prizrak

‘ring times, least useful piece of information about real world performance of any car

01/18/2019 - 15:54 |
8 | 2
Martin Burns

If we’re going to nitpick about rubber I’ll just leave this here:

The 385hp 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4, which weighs about 3 Americans less than the aforementioned Supra, did the ring in a 7:42…. also on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2….

If it DOES do a 7:40 then they are therefore lying about power figures (because no auto manufacturers has EVER done that before) and I will absolutely do everything in my power to purchase one… I mean just look at it!

01/18/2019 - 16:25 |
18 | 2

The porsche could have worse aero

01/18/2019 - 16:28 |
2 | 14

The 340ps version of the b58 is known to have a happy 370-380ps

01/18/2019 - 16:51 |
0 | 0

Well Supra is a DCT,
The Porsche os a Manual. So it should make sense that the porsche would have slower shifts
Considering this is the Nurburgring, everything makes a difference

01/19/2019 - 01:56 |
14 | 2
Gazzzz

now that they have opened their mouths, they are obliged to do… but I think it will not be an official lap time. This car can’t do 7’40” without cheating. Sorry, but it’s the truth

01/18/2019 - 16:50 |
4 | 4
Griffin Mackenzie

In reply to by Gazzzz

Honestly tho. I was looking at the numbers and I have determined there is a 0% chance that supra is fast than the type r on the track.

Toyota really thinks their supra will be faster than a car which is 2-300lbs lighter with a significantly higher top speed and is 1000x more agile. I literally just cannot see the supra beating even the base model type r

01/18/2019 - 20:49 |
0 | 0
RWB Dude

I dont understand why they put on the speed limiter on a sports car… it just makes no sense

01/18/2019 - 16:59 |
0 | 0

For the rich 16 year-olds

01/18/2019 - 18:50 |
4 | 12

A smooth road at 65 is a washboard at 155, the cars are perfectly capable of the speed, the roads are not capable of allowing it safely, and manufacturers obviously would rather not have that on their heads… lol

01/18/2019 - 19:32 |
2 | 0

I think it’s inaurance wise

01/19/2019 - 01:57 |
6 | 0
Nathan Vonlanthen

Quick question: do anyone of you make car sounds under the shower ?

01/18/2019 - 19:29 |
16 | 0
Anonymous

don’t ya mean the new BMW Z4 will be able to do a 7 min 40 sec ring lap? 🤔

01/18/2019 - 21:26 |
0 | 14
HF_Martini6

instead of tackling the ‘Ring Record they could get their Engineers to work on a Manual Gearbox, that would be actually cool.

01/18/2019 - 21:29 |
2 | 12

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