The Toyota GR Supra GT4 Concept

This year’s Geneva Motor Show saw the arrival of a track only edition of the long running and popular Supra – the Toyota GR Supra GT4 concept.

The track car has been developed in Germany by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing motorsports team for the FIA GT4 amateur racing competition.

The GT4 class is often referred to as the track-day class; vehicles at the lower end of the racing power spectrum which are available to be owned by the public. Once approved by the FIA, the manufacturer or tuning arms cannot then further modify the approved GT4 racing car.

The result is a class where the cars are very evenly matched, with the emphasis being placed on driver skill and technique.

The Toyota GR Supra GT4 will be a modified version of the recent GR Supra with a modified rear wing and diffuser.

Going one step further than others in the green department, Toyota has chosen to push carbon fibre aside and manufacture these parts from hemp and flax. The original car’s production bumper remains in place.

Lightweight 18-inch alloys with the ubiquitous Brembo brakes and Pirelli slick P Zero racing tyres keep the GR Supra GT4 grounded, while uprated suspension with stiffened springs and anti-roll bars give the car a boost in the handling and cornering departments.

The interior has been kept sparse to shave weight, and an FIA approved anti-roll cage has been added along with a pair of OMP competition bucket seats. The OMP steering wheel has a prominent marker at 12 o’clock – presumably so you know that you are meant to be going forward in cornering rear end slides.

We’ve seen a bit of a mini glut of Supra racing concepts of late, with the GR Supra Super GT and the GR Supra Racing both being pure track cars, but the GR Supra GT4 shows that Toyota might be getting serious about putting the Supra through its paces in this class of competition.

The Supra GT4 concept will retain the original 3-litre turbocharged straight-six engine with some fine-tuning; a racing spec ECU and wiring loom will be complimented by uprated drive shafts and a faster refuelling system.

The GR Supra GT4 is finished in an attractive and slightly understated black, dark red and silver paint job and certainly looks the part. Toyota are hedging their best at present, using the Geneva Motor Show to get a feel for public opinion before committing the concept to reality.

Judging from the pictures, I think we can expect the GR Supra GT4 concept to get the go ahead.