Toyota GR Supra Laps Nürburgring in 7:52.17
Germany’s Sport Auto has taken the new 2020 Toyota GR Supra for a hot lap around the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife and managed a time of 7 minutes and 52.17 seconds with test driver Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel.
This is a fairly respectable time, one virtually identical to the lap the same driver set about a year ago in a BMW M2 Competition. Notably, it’s also quicker than the BMW Z4’s time of 7:55.41, the car that was jointly developed with the Supra and with which it shares an engine.
So far, the Supra is firmly establishing itself as the better deal of the two cars for customers seeking the best performance, which is a little strange considering the BMW was intended to be the sportier one and produces more power.
Related: 2020 Toyota GR Supra overview
Given that the Supra only has 335 ponies under the hood, its time is actually quite impressive. It’s only 0.17 seconds shy of the first-gen Porsche Panamera Turbo S and of an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S riding on Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. The Supra’s own wheels were wrapped in its stock Michelin Pilot Super Sports.
The time, however, is a bit short of what Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada had surmised it could do. Supposedly, Toyota never tested the Supra at the Nürburgring, but Tada had been confident it would be “very easy to break eights — 7:50, 7:40. It will do that easily.”
A 7:40 seems out of reach for the time being, but the Supra clearly has the chassis to do great things. Perhaps all it needs an engine tune.
Related: Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.