A Whole Lotta Supra:
The SEMA Edition

The new Toyota MKV Supra is a BMW Z4 with a different body.

If you walked the miles of aisles at the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas, you couldn’t help but notice the number of Toyota MKV Supra builds littering the show floor. Not only were they in the Toyota corporate display but they were in numerous booths of aftermarket speed merchants from Milestar to Yokohama.

Now, not a lot of people know this beyond the cognoscenti—the most serious enthusiasts—but the new Gen 5 Toyota GR Supra is really a BMW G29 Z4 wearing a Japanese suit. Indeed, the two cars are assembled side by side in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr.

It’s been more than two decades since the last Supra was available and this version was apparently seven years in the making. That said, we had a taste of what was coming when the concept FT-1 first appeared at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2014. McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens said, “The front nose is silly, but it does the upper window line to top of screen better than I have seen before and has sensuous surface through the door.”

So, if the MKV Supra which is a real, iconic enthusiast’s car, is a re-dressed BMW, how do those enthusiasts feel about that? StateofSpeed.com spoke to racer Stephen Papadakis about it. PapadakisRacing.com, is, of course, the winningest team in Formula Drift and earlier this year Steph’ attacked the in-line Bavarian B58 six in search of the magic 1,000 horsepower asking the question, “Is this a worthy successor to the 2JZ Toyota engine? Time will tell but so far, I’m pretty impressed.” Stephen actually reprised this build live at the SEMA Show.

The aluminum block evidences racing heritage with a deep skirt, a built-in cast aluminum windage tray and a forged steel crank. Meanwhile, everything is modular and/or integrated. The plastic intake contains an integrated water-to-air intercooler. There’s direct coil-on-plug ignition and there is also an oil-to-water heat exchanger that uses radiator coolant to control the oil temp. Unusually, the engine has no dip stick and no traditional timing marks.

The biggest structural difference from most common engines is that the chain driven DOHC cam timing assembly is on the back of the block rather than the front. Other differences appear in the four-valve head that has motor-driven variable inlet cam timing and direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber. The head also contains an integrated six-into-two exhaust manifold.

“Is [the B58 engine] a worthy successor to the 2JZ Toyota [Supra] engine? Time will tell but so far, I’m pretty impressed.”Stephen Papadakis, PapadakisRacing.com

In his target-1,000 rebuild Steph’ used the stock crank and bearings but installed custom chrome moly Carrillo rods fitted with forged and coated 11:1 JE pistons with stock rings. Major work came in the cylinder head that was ported and flowed and fitted with valves, springs, retainers and keepers from SupertechPerformance.com. The head is secured by custom made ARP head studs. The gasket, however, is stock.

Two things Steph’ did ditch was the direct injection that will be changed out for six 2,000 cc port fuel injectors, one for each cylinder, and the motor-driven viable inlet cam timing that will be disabled and set to max. He also junked the Supra’s stock plastic intake and went for a 3D printed aluminum intake by Mountune, however, the stock throttle body was retained.

The other big change was to dump the stock Supra turbo, replacing it with a much larger Borg Warner EFR 9282 turbo fitted with a Full-Race.com turbo header and dual wastegates.

In stock configuration, the MKV Supra is good for 335 bhp and 369 lb-ft of torque as is the Beemer. Sixty mph comes in just 4.1 seconds and it tops out at a reasonable but electronically-limited 155 mph. Papadakis’ modifications unfortunately remain unresolved because the factory computer is not able to be re-programmed to work with his ‘old school’ modifications. Steph’ said, “The B58 is a really good engine but until we can go out there and make the power there is work to do with the fuel system and the ECM.”

The styling of the MKV Supra is soft and organic through the sides but very aggressive in the front and rear facias that are perhaps a little busy but then it is a Supra. Aftermarket body kits and wings can make it more so. One of the car’s distinctive features is the ‘double bubble’ roof that references the signature of the Italian styling house Zagato.

Ingress to the MKV Supra necessitates ducking your head but once in the seat the double bubble top affords good headroom. According to several reviewers, the interior looks like that of a BMW but now that we know it is a BMW perhaps that is to be expected. Soft -touch materials and BMW features, design cues and details give the interior a premium feel. However, one design feature that some find uncomfortable are the twin cup holders aft of the eight-speed shift lever. If you use them, the cups get in the way of your elbow. I don’t have an answer for this other than not to use them but then why are they there if you can’t use them? Another issue is the lack of trunk space and spare tire?

Overall, the Supra interior is snug, and I just don’t see two-meter tall (6ft 5in) Jeremy Clarkson having much room for him, his ego and a camera man.

So, when all is said and done, how do we feel about the new BMW Supra. My guess is it’s a bit of a compromise. It’s not a Beemer and it’s certainly not a Toyota but, it’s a great sport coupe that is going to please lots of enthusiasts even if it rolls off the floor at around $50K or more.

Tony’s Top Ten SEMA Builds

At this time of the year there’s a worldwide buzz in the auto industry as it gears up for the annual SEMA Show. Today, the acronym stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association but back when it began in 1963 the letters stood for Speed Equipment Manufacturer’s Association. These were the boys that made cars go fast and to spread the word they formed a trade association and got together under Dodger Stadium to sell their speed secrets.

Now, almost 60 years on, SEMA has grown to be an international powerhouse with the largest automotive trade show in the world. Unfortunately, the show, held annually in Las Vegas, is not open to the public but through the wonders of modern technology the world can see what goes down in ‘Lost Wages.’ What happens in Vegas no longer stays in Vegas.

When I began working the show almost 30 years ago there were almost no vehicles displayed in the show. It was purely a trade event with sellers and buyers. Then vendors began to realize that displaying their products on a vehicle attracted attention and the concept of display and project vehicles began to explode. SEMA is now regarded as the largest auto show in the world with more than 1,500 custom vehicles on display.

As you would expect, there’s everything from the sublime to the ridiculous and everything in between. StateofSpeed.com was there to capture the craziness and here are my Top 10.

’53 Lincoln Capri ‘Golden Sahara’

Back in the fifties, George ‘King of the Kustomizers’ Barris created the ‘Golden Sahara’ from his wrecked ’53 Lincoln Capri complete with glowing tires. Restored, it’s now part of the KlairmontKollections.com

Datsun 510 ‘Brock Buster’

There were a lot of vintage Japanese cars on display and this Datsun 510 ‘Brock Buster’ created by Cobra Daytona designer Pete Brock even had a vintage 1979 Revell model of the car on the dash.

’61 Chevy Apache by Honda

It take cajones to put a different brand of vehicle in your corporate booth so I admire Honda for putting this vintage ’61 Chevy Apache truck in their display complete with a vintage Honda 50 and a CB160.

Webasto Electric Ford Mustang

I’m not big on eco design but this 900 hp electric Mustang caught my eye and won a Ford Design Award for builder Webasto.

Chevrolet ‘E-10’ Concept

Yet another electrified vintage vehicle was Chevrolet’s ‘E-10’ concept based on a ’62 C-10 pickup fitted with a double stack of Chevrolet Performance concept electric crate (eCrate) motors.

Rick Dore and Marcel’s Custom Metal Custom

The art of coach building automobile bodies is disappearing but Rick Dore working with Marcel’s Custom Metal continues to build outstanding automobiles, many for James Hetfield of Metallica.

Chopped ’59 Chevy El Camino

I love ’59 Chevy El Camino pickups but I’m not sure about this chopped, sectioned, shortened specimen complete with blown Chevy and side pipes. I might have preferred the uncut version.

#89 Mercedes-AMG GT4

It was almost too far in the air to see but once spotted you couldn’t take your appreciative eyes off the #89 Mercedes-AMG GT4 built by renntechmotorsports.com.

Dodge Charger Wrapped by Rastaman

Wraps and graphics are a huge part of SEMA because they can be easily removed when the show is over. Rastaman built this wrap design.

Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth Inspired “Bubbletop”

I’m not sure I like this but I do like the concept of a tribute to Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth whose  ‘Bubbletop’ creations of the 1960’s turned me on to the wilder side of auto customizing.

SEMA 2019: Impressions

SEMA 2019 is here and bringing the all-around automotive goodness we’ve come to expect. We don’t know if you’ve heard, but there were a lot of new A90 Toyota Supras out there. Despite this year being called “The Year of the Supra”, the show had an abundance of other fantastic builds that deserve some love.

Here are some of our Supra-free highlights from SEMA 2019.

IMPORTS

This Datsun 240z has a completely carbon fiber body and is powered by 5.3L Chevy V8 out of a Silverado. This truck powered beast is owned and raced by Shawn Bassett and is built to tear up the track at any time attack.

MUSCLE

Check out this ’72 Riviera by Gas Monkey Garage of Discovery Channel’s Fast n’ Loud. It’s powered by a Katech LT4 and boosted with a Magnuson Supercharger.

Koni showed off their heritage with a Shelby GT350 at their booth sporting the shocks they developed for the original release in the 60s.

OFFROAD

Milestar Tires displayed their newly released UTV/Side-by-Side specific Patagonia SXT tire.

CLASSICS/HOT RODS

The AMC Gremlin was once classified as one of the ugliest cars ever made, but that title definitely doesn’t fit this one. This custom Gremlin hot rod is built by Jacob Griffin and proves that these ugly little cars do have some potential.

EURO/EXOTICS

Eibach collaborated with Hot Wheels to present this clean BMW 2002 along with its miniature version at their booth. Some lucky attendants even got to take home their own Eibach x Hotwheels collectible 2002.

 

Green With Envy: The Rebellion Forge Racing BMW E30

Rebellion Forge Racing’s “Live to Offend” BMW E30

While SEMA 2019 may seem like A90 Supra overload, builds like the Rebellion Forge Racing BMW E30 at the Meguiar’s Booth are a breath of fresh air. The RFR E30 has all bases covered, with beautifully exposed custom engine fabrication work, an over-the-top racing-style interior, and a clean and tasteful widebody exterior.

The build features the infamous E30 aftermarket widebody kit by Khyzyl Saleem and Eric Penelow’s Live to Offend, which debuted on another amazing E30 build at last year’s SEMA (Khyzyl’s design skills can be found on another SEMA build, B is for Build’s LS-engine swapped Huracan). The green exterior is topped off with a carbon fiber splitter, black custom Rotiform wheels, and an aggressive diffuser. The overall aesthetic hints at the Bōsōzoku style (especially with the banners and license plate) combined with aggressive aero and the bolted-on widebody look. While some of us at State of Speed feel a proper wing could finish the aero on this particular E30, sometimes less is more.

The interior has what you would expect from a SEMA build, with a focus on the fine details. Completely gutted out, the interior is covered rather than leaving the metal exposed. A race-ready roll cage and window vents have been installed. Lastly, the steering wheel, racing seats, and racing harnesses from Sabelt finish the inside.

Rebellion Forge Racing’s Kyle Ray, a SEMA Young Gun finalist, played a big role in this build, and it’s amazing considering he’s only under 27 (the fab work in this LS-swapped engine bay alone is something to be proud of). We’re definitely looking forward to more future builds featuring his talent. What do you guys think of this E30 build?