The product of immense dedication, this Supra’s on-track performance proves wrong what many have said for too long about Toyota’s flagship sports car. This Renaissance Red Supra uses a long list of top-tier parts to excel at Okayama Circuit, where it’s capable of setting laps in the 1:37-range. Who said these GT cars were useless pigs?

So much of its rear stability is due to that huge diffuser. Photo credit: https://ameblo.jp/t-taichou

Thanks to carbon doors, a carbon hood, and an FRP hatch accenting its hide, the car now weighs a respectable 2,950 pounds, which gets the formerly hefty grand tourer down to fighting weight. Carbon also contributes to the overall amount of grip this car produces; carbon Voltex Type 13 GT wing and Auto Staff canards push the car into the ground at speed, as does the enormous Silk Road R diffuser.

Though traction that impressive might suggest a staggered setup, it turns out it has 295/35R18 Advan Neova A050 semi-slicks wrapping Volk TE37LTD wheels. It seems that, in conjunction with a set of sticky rubber, an Exedy carbon clutch, and an ATS carbon differential can deploy 750 horsepower surprisingly cleanly.

Some of that speaks to the level of tuning the engine has benefited from. The massive T88-34 turbocharger is typically associated with drag cars, but Tomei pistons and connecting rods, medium-lift HKS cams, and an HKS VPro boost controller seem to contribute to a usable powerband on the road course. The Amuse Titanium exhaust also aids in spool time, but it’s probably best appreciated for that incredible elephant wail it produces.

Its straightline speed might make the most jaws drop, but its the turn-in which gets my vote. Normally the front-heavy Supra isn’t as willing to change direction as some better balanced cars, but the aforementioned aero upgrades, weight reduction, and a few suspension modifications improve some agility. The Ikea Formula arms and Endless Function coilovers have contributed to a better alignment and are likely to have had the greatest effect at slower speeds. In both the hairpins and high-speed kinks at Okayama, the car looks incredibly pointy and poised. As its owner works at an auto shop, spending lots of time doing alignments, he’s equipped to sort out this suspension setup properly.

It’s quite capable of accelerating with thirty degrees of opposite lock.

There’s such a refreshing feeling seeing a Supra taken to this level; both cleverly tuned and aggressively driven. Out of some of the slower corners, he wrestles with the steering wheel slightly, but the great traction allows him to sashay elegantly, avoid lifting, and make good use of the tidal wave of torque under his right foot. That reassuring rear end, coupled with a surprisingly wide powerband, means he accrues speed quite quickly—even between the shorter portions of Okayama. Thankfully, the Endless big brakes do a stellar job of bleeding speed, and they seem to facilitate rotation as well (0:52). It’s a well-rounded machine that breaks stereotypes, sets impressive times, provides an incredible soundtrack, and inspires avid fans of the ’90s JDM greats to drop those dreams of a BRZ.