This Is The Biggest Hint The Toyota Supra GRMN Is Getting BMW M3 Power
Key Takeaways
- High-performance Toyota GR Supra model to get functional heat-extraction vents in the hood.
- Model-specific hood suggests it may inherit the S58 engine from the BMW M3, with as much as 530 hp.
- Spy footage from Nurburgring suggests GRMN Supra may have a manual transmission.
- Latest spy shots reveal top-hung rear wing and model-specific aero package.
CarBuzz spy photographers have spied a change to the developmental test mule that is expected to serve as the basis of a more hardcore Toyota GR Supra. As evidenced in the below imagery, the car expected to be called the Supra GRMN will be getting a vented hood that is unlike the one seen on the regular sports car.
To be clear, the regular A90 Supra appears to have hood vents where the clamshell becomes the top of the wheel arch, but these are only cosmetic. For the high-performance model, functional heat extraction vents are required, including semicircular vents over the engine.
BMW M Engine To Offer Potent Performance
GRMN stands for “Gazoo Racing, tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring” and applies to Toyota’s hottest and most hardcore models, such as the GRMN Yaris. The GRMN Supra will certainly fit that bill, with several reports pointing to an engine borrowed from the BMW M division, specifically the S58 engine from the BMW M4.
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Some reports suggest a boost to 530 horsepower, but with the latest M4 only offering 523 ponies, we doubt BMW would allow for more. Then again, we never imagined that BMW would allow its M engines to be used by other automakers in the first place, yet the Range Rover Sport SV exists with an M5 engine. Whatever the case, a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six is an exciting prospect.
But that’s not even the most interesting thing about the special Supra seen here.
GRMN Coming With Manual Transmission
Footage captured at the Nurburgring suggests that the uprated Supra will have three pedals, although this has not been confirmed. If true, it would be unlikely that the manual transmission is suitable, so we suspect that power will be capped at around 473 hp. What is confirmed is that the GRMN Supra won’t be subtle. The rear wing we’ve spied in the past has been revised and is now mounted in the swan-neck style, meaning a top-hung design like on a Porsche 911 GT3.
At the front, aggressive canards and a deeper splitter balance the aero load from that rear wing. To help slow the car, calipers borrowed from the X3 M have been fitted, along with forged 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Hopefully, these more revealing images are an indication that a reveal is imminent.
