Legend born
Back in 1993, the most classic 4th Gen Supra was born, as a product of Japan's bubble economy and the longest-running Supra of all generations.
With its lighter body, sportier looks and large rear wing, it looks out of place compared to its predecessor.
However, due to the front engine layout, Supra's cornering performance is not satisfying, but it still dominates drag racing due to the powerful 2JZ GTE engine, giving Supra a nickname of "King of the Straight" among drag racing enthusiasts.
Supra doesn't have the legendary victory in the World Touring Car Championship like the "Godzilla" GTR R32 or in local races, but it and the “Godzilla” years of competition can also get a share of the pie. Toyota's efforts over the years have yielded a small return, and it all depends on the 2JZ GTE engine that lives and dies with it.
Although the original 2JZ-GTE can't produce maximum power higher than 280 hp due to local Japanese protocols, it was designed to carry more than that, as evidenced by the twin-turbo. That's why the engineers opted for an iron block to give it greater resistance to thermal shock.
So which factors exactly make the 2JZ such a beast?
The most notable factor is the anchor of the engine itself, the block. While many automakers have switched to aluminum engines, that wasn’t really a widespread option back in the 90’s, so the 2JZ’s iron block is not only a stronger material to start with, the closed-deck design gives the block even more rigidity under huge boost levels.
The inline six design is more balanced than the more common v-style engines, another factor that helps keep the legend alive is the zero-interference design. This means if the timing belt breaks, it doesn’t slam the valves into the tops of the pistons and destroy the head or the pistons. This may be one of the reasons that there are still a lot of 2JZ’s going strong even after what could have been a catastrophic failure for a lesser engine.
The iron block, closed deck, inline six design was built to handle enormous power in its stock form. 700hp to 800hp can be supported with just a single turbo conversion, upgraded fuel and tuning.
With the help of the huge aftermarket support, the 2JZ engine found most notably in the Toyota Supra twin-turbo can meet almost any horsepower goal. A 1000hp Toyota Supra is now basically the norm. Unless you have over 1200hp though, people will probably barely bat an eye.
More than just an engine, the 2JZ is now a spiritual totem that runs through drag and drift events, and even though there won't be anything like that anymore because of emissions and other regulations, it will be imprinted in every Petrol Head's mind.
