Back in 2008 this Scorch Racing Supra kind of raised a few eyebrows after its appearance on the Blitz stand at the Tokyo Auto Salon. At the time it seemed strange that Blitz would get involved with a drag project, as interest in the scene has died down in Japan. I originally shot it for Turbo magazine, now long gone since being axed in late 2008, and at the time the car was supposed to be raced within a few months, ready to set those record passes everyone was expecting from it. But nothing really happened for a good two years.

I was very surprised the other weekend in Sendai Hi-Land when out of nowhere it showed up at the strip. I had completely forgotten about it but it looked like the project, after a little pause, is back on track. It was the car's first outing and it achieved what it set out to do within a few passes, so the Scorch Racing and Blitz guy were extremely happy. The car put down a series of low 9-second runs before recording a 9-sec dead at the end of its first practice day. It might not sound all that quick compared to some of the cars we have seen this month…

…but it is once you consider that the actual 2JZ being run at the moment hasn't been upgraded. You would think that with two massive Blitz K5-700R turbines a lot of work has gone into the motor, but it is in fact, completely stock. The only upgrades are to the head, which has been fitted with JUN camshafts and cam gears to shift the power and torque curves up the rev range. The goal was always to record low 9-sec runs with this set up, and if achieved keep going to see just how much the stock 2JZ could take.  When the engine will blow Scorch Racing have a proper fully built and stroked unit waiting to be dropped in. The reason behind this was to slowly build up the potential of the car, set-up the suspension and the gearbox, and allow the owner/driver to learn how to handle a beast like this.

Nitrous oxide is used to get the most power out of the current set up, which is around the 800 HP range at the moment.

Back when I shot the car at the Blitz HQ, in the same garage where Nomuken's ER34 Skyline was built, the Supra looked a little bit different from it's current state.

At the time it was still running the "show" wheels, 18-inch  Blitz BRW Profile 08, as the team was still awaiting the Hoosier drag slicks.

The build called for a full strip down of the chassis and interior, which was fitted with a roll cage and spot welded for extra rigidity. Aside from the larger AutoMeter rev-counter…

…there isn't much instrumentation, but what there is has been neatly grouped into a small center panel angled towards the driver. The Blitz Power Meter i-Color Flash and SBC i-Color SpecR modules can be easily viewed as well as the oil temperature and boost gauges.

An air-shifted Jerico 4-speed transmission shows just how serious Scorch Racing and Blitz are in getting the best out of this car.

The light Blitz carbon-Kevlar GT1 bucket seat is custom mounted further back than in a street Supra, to help shift more weight towards the rear.

The Blitz twins are good for about 600 HP each…

…and once the fully built 2JZ will be dropped in, the final power is expected to be in the region of 1500 HP. With a little help from the odd shot of nitrous oxide of course.

At those power levels the car will definitely need help stopping after it crosses the 1/4 mile line, so a chute has already been fitted.

The exterior of the car is fitted with a complete Blitz Aero Speed converson as well as wider fenders and lightweight carbon doors.

It will be interesting to see what this Supra will be able to achieve in the future, and in the process I hope it will spark a little more interest in a scene that was once very popular in Japan! 

Blitz

-Dino Dalle Carbonare