crankandpiston meets a Toyota legend, and is walked through the work that has gone into making this 1995 Supra a 950hp absolute monster.
[Not a valid template]Upon the arrival of the 86, much was made about the fact that Toyota, finally, had a sportscar in the range for the first time in nearly ten years. Suddenly the firm that was synonymous with the Camry and the FJ Cruiser in the Middle East had a spiritual successor to the formidable AE86 – the mid-1980s weapon of choice for drifters across the globe – and, perhaps more significantly, a successor to the Supra.
Though technically an offshoot of the Celica when it first appeared on the scene in 1978, by the time the Mk III was on the drafting board, the Supra stood as a model in its own right: the Celica turned front wheel drive, the Supra’s inline-six – derived from the iconic 2000GT sports coupe – continued sending power to the rear wheels, and thus a sizeable motorsport career beckoned.
By the time the MkIV came along, Toyota’s design gurus had done a complete re-think, and a redesigned, more curvaceous Supra with two new engines in the range hit the production line in 1992. So great was the response to the new lightweight and chuckable sports coupe that even eleven years after production ceased in Japan, the MkIV remains one of the most desirable – and affordable – sportscars on the used car market today. The sheer number of select forums online confirms this…
Of course, this being the Middle East, owning a stock model is not the way the game is played: indeed, a naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE unit – or a twin-turbo variant if you’re feeling flush – is a red flag to the tuning bull, as is the five-speed manual gearbox. Like the Nissan GT-R, the Supra is seen as an investment to something new. Something bold. Something…more epic.
That was the incentive at least behind Ali Al Banki’s 1995 model. Part of his collection for five years now, work began in earnest just two years later. Soon the bonnet was lifted, the engine removed and some serious performance tweaks were being made.
“I’d owned the car already for two years,” Ali mentions, “but one day I was speaking with a friend of mine who mentioned that the 2JZ engine could – if done properly – handle more than 1200hp. There and then I knew I wanted to create some epic, and the car today looks awesome! That’s the result of three years hardwork from the guys at Future Motorsports workshop in Dubai.”
Though the 1200hp figure couldn’t quite be reached – “stability was an issue” – today the Supra boasts 950hp, almost 700hp more than when it started. As well as a new six-speed gearbox, the 2JZ has received a new turbocharger, intercooler and camshafts from HKS, as well as a timing belt and oil coolers from GReddy. It’s cost a small fortune – one which, with a smile, Ali would rather not mention – but the results speak for themselves.
“Everytime I’m out, people want to know what’s under the bonnet,” he continues. “The power is just enormous, and the noise through the exhausts just makes the perfect sound system. I just can’t get enough of that!”
As well as some considerable amount of effort under the bonnet and along the drivetrain, the ’95 Supra has also been given a new look thanks to a new aero kit and select lashings of carbon fibre. Plus racing suspension for those oh so crucial track day outings.
“It just looks so aggressive, with the carbon fibre hood, the new alloy wheels and the red tone colour. The Supra looks and sounds like an absolute monster, and that’s what I hope people will think when they see it!”
– Our thanks to Mohammed Al-Yassi
