Though the JZA80 Supra is generally considered a little too tubby for the purposes of time trials, there are quite a few Australians who see the potential in this heavyset GT car. Provided the car goes on a diet and wears a decent set of tires, it’s been show to be quite effective on the road course. Yet, some aren’t too interested trimming the fat.

Two proponents of this viewpoint are Anton and Phil Jones, who began this project with the intention of building a competitive time trial machine with a full interior and all the creature comforts—it even has a sound system! This meant that even after a little weight reduction, their Supra tipped the scales at 3,200 pounds. Some accused them of being crazy, but their intentions were clear, and this street-legal car had to be comfortable and friendly on the public roads as well quick on the circuit.

Therefore, some choice modifications were in order if they were to become competitive with that sort of mass to move around. The 2JZ-GTE engine is stuffed full of quality components; CP-Carillo pistons and rods, a Haltech PS2000 ECU, and a GT35R turbocharger help to produce 550 reliable horsepower, gobs of torque, and that sort of progressive powerband so critical for success on the road course.

Expensive KW coilovers and custom control arms keep the Toyota composed and predictable—even with 550 horsepower available.

However, it’s hard to get away from the Supra’s reputation as a tire spinner. With that heavy iron motor sitting over the front axle and no transaxle to plant the driven wheels, it’s tough to administer that force-fed torque to the pavement without the R-compounds spinning wildly. For this reason, the car is quite wild at slow speeds; most notable when Jones gets into a spectacular shimmy at fifty-five seconds into the clip.

However, in the faster corners, that long wheelbase, the aerodynamic elements, and less torque-limitation makes the Supra immensely stable and, by the looks of it, confidence-inspiring. Even on the odd occasion when the rear breaks away at speed, Jones’ countersteering and throttle control is quick, accurate, and unflustered.

Despite the smooth delivery, the turbocharged thrust is still quite a lot to manage for a relatively old car, and to help administer that to the pavement, they went with Yokohama AD08 tires, an OS Giken Spec-X LSD, and KW coilovers. It’s not an overly developed car, but it makes decent use of the tire, decelerates well with Stoptech brakes and PFC pads, and remains well-planted thanks to a minimalist aero package and that wonderful chassis, which is improved by a cage, pillowball mounts, and a set of custom control arms from Mark’s Engineering.

It’s not difficult to see how this car earned its nickname.

It might not be the lightest car on the grid, but with all the boxes checked, this Supra, which has been nicknamed “Vader” for its color scheme and sinister shape, snagged second place in the World Time Attack Challenge’s Clubsprint class in 2010 and 2012. With a built motor, a 74mm turbo, and an estimated 900 horsepower on the horizon, it might be able to fully compensate for that blubber which makes these machines quite unpopular in the road racing community. Let’s hope this one helps sway opinion somewhat.