As far as Japanese tuners go, SARD doesn’t quite have the cachet of other Toyota-affiliated companies like TRD and Tom’s. But this Aichi-based outfit has a long 48-year history of domestic and international racing, including taking the Supra to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now, it has taken its wrenches to the new GR Supra to give the sports car even greater performance and a very unique aesthetic.
The car you see here certainly looks very
aggressive, sporting a widebody kit that is some 80 mm broader than the
standard Supra. The front air intakes are much larger than stock and emphasise
the car’s X shape, while the clamshell bonnet has also been made wider to cover
the increased track. Additional vents have also been incorporated into the
bonnet and front fenders.
At the rear, the fender flares further
accentuate the Supra’s Coke bottle shape and the doors have been reprofiled to
suit. The rear bumper is also deeper, equipped with larger vents and a diffuser
that carries the standard reverse light and the larger exhausts. Protruding
carbon fibre strips on the front and rear bumpers give the car a very
distinctive appearance that is finished off by a rather subtle rear wing.
The looks, however, are all but a sideshow
for what’s under the bonnet. No, you won’t find a 2JZ in here, just the
BMW-sourced B58 3.0 litre turbocharged straight-six and ZF eight-speed
automatic gearbox – albeit with the small addition of a high-flow BorgWarner
turbo and a billet compressor wheel. A retuned ECU, a titanium exhaust system and
a sports catalytic converter to free up yet more horsepower.
The result of all this fettling is a
whopping 500 PS at 5,800 rpm and 686 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm, increases of
112 PS and 186 Nm respectively over the 2021 Supra. Keeping all those horses in
check are the height-adjustable suspension, stiffer anti-roll bars, additional
chassis bracing and Alcon brakes with six-piston front callipers. The wheels
are larger 20-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S007A tyres.
None of these additions sounds cheap, so
it’s no surprise that the complete car (which will be limited to just 20 units)
costs an eyebrow-raising 12,500,000 yen. To give you a sense of
perspective, the standard GR Supra RZ is priced at 7,313,000 yen (RM285,300),
making it a heady 5,187,000 yen premium.
