If I had to associate the Toyota Supra with just one motorsport genre, it wouldn’t be touring cars.

I’m going to ignore your cries of ‘JGTC’ and the iconic GT500 TOM’s Castrol JZA80 Supra. I’ve even had first-hand experience with GT4 A90 Supras at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race in the past. Because despite its legendary touring car racing credentials, the Supra in my eyes has always been a drag racing hero first and foremost. And for quarter mile action, no one has built them better than Titan Motorsports in the USA.

This isn’t the first time the topic has been broached on Speedhunters, but I’d like to throw my hat in and revisit the subject of Supra drag racing. Given the frankly astonishing power gains that have been achieved since Paddy last discussed the A90 as a tuning platform, it would be rude not to.

“Our history with the Supra goes back well before Titan existed,” recalls Wes Bourne, Titan Motorsports’ marketing manager. “One of Titan’s owners, Nero, had a MkIV Supra and started the company to help support his racing habit. As the company evolved and grew, his original Supra went on to become our Titan Copper drag Supra, one of the most successful import drag cars in US history.”

How successful? Well, ‘Copper’ can lay claim to consistent 6.4-second quarter mile ETs with its tried and tested 2JZ-GTE engine.

Time has moved on, and JZA80 Supras have become collector items with prices to match. And as a result, 2JZ modification has become equally expensive. Right now, new-age enthusiasts are getting to experience the power potential of the current generation A90 Supra instead.

“The A90 is a great base for drag racing thanks to its highly tuneable straight six powerplant and ZF automatic transmission,” says Kyle Scott, Titan sales executive and top B58/S58 guy. “It’s easy to package big-power builds for the B58/S58 cars. The recipe is there so it’s much easier to keep items in stock in bulk, and rinse and repeat. The 2JZ will always be our bread and butter, but the B58 and S58 have become mainstays as well. We’re enjoying the challenge.”

The Supras we’re looking at today are three of the fastest A90s anywhere in the world right now.

The red Supra is a Titan customer car, while the white Supra belongs to Adil Adams, one of Titan Motorsports’ technicians. Both are making just over 1,200hp, with some key ingredients being Precision 7275 Gen 2 turbochargers, CSF Race intake manifolds and heat exchangers, and Titan’s own cylinder head work on Titan 3.2-litre stroker short blocks.

The yellow car belongs to Jordane ‘Peppa’ Jacobs, and lays claim to the title of the current third quickest and fastest A90 Supra on the planet.

“I’ve always had different types of BMWs. They became so popular in NYC that I wanted to get something different but in a way, still a BMW,” says Jordane. “NYC has more of a street racing scene because we don’t have any real drag racing tracks.”

“BMWs have always been popular, but with the B58 and S58 engines’ capabilities more people are buying them to join the platform and try to become the fastest. I started off with a stock motor, and now I have a 3.2-litre ‘Stage X’ stroker motor made by my tuner, Visconti.”

The street racing scene is where Jordane first cut his Supra’s teeth, transitioning over to the drag strip as the build became drastically more powerful. In its current guise, Jordane has managed to crack the 7-second barrier with a 7.98-second quarter mile ET, crossing the finish line at 176mph (283km/h).

“My favourite part is that it’s RWD and a bit more difficult to drive fast, but at the same time it’s a lot more exciting with the power it’s making,” he says.

That’s not to say it’s a track-only, one-trick pony – note the New York licence plate behind the parachute. In fact, for Jordane, the Supra is very drivable on a daily basis. “I have A/C, heating, and most of my interior. I just did a four-day ‘drag and drive’ event across North and South Carolina where I drove between each track without trailering.”

“I get a lot of attention when I drive around. People are always recording me driving and tagging me on social media. Sometimes they try to get me to do a pull in the car for a video, or even follow me around for a bit.”

And yet, for all the speed, power and attention these cars get, neither Jordane nor Titan Motorsports are totally content with the ridiculous feats they’ve managed to achieve so far. In Jordane’s case, he plans to race at more events this year, and hopefully go faster than 7.9.

As for the madmen at Titan? According to Kyle, they’re only just getting started. “There are complexities in regards to the unlocking the [A90] ECUs, which have slowed things down a little bit and added some extra tuning cost and effort that will hopefully become easier as time goes on. The rumoured S58-powered [GRMN] Supra should turn things up a notch in the tuning community.”

“With these being engines for production-based cars vs custom chassis race cars, I don’t think development will ever reach the levels put into the 2JZ. Then again, if you told us 20 years ago we’d be making 3,000+ horsepower reliably in our 2JZ drag cars, I probably wouldn’t have seen that coming either…”

“The US seems to be much more straight line focused than other parts of the world; the largest import events here are drag racing events and the potential BMW/Toyota left on the table with this engine makes it tuner friendly.” 

Modern BMWs – and contemporary performance cars in general – are so over-engineered that it’s now easier than ever to push ridiculous power figures using fairly simple formulae. Drag racing may not be as hot in the Europe as it is in the US, but near 1,000hp BMW M5 Competitions are increasingly common sights at V-MAX airstrip events.

I admire these builds and their duality. iDrive, air conditioning, automatic gearboxes and a casual 1,250hp at the wheels. Long live the Supra, king of the import drag racers and more accessible than ever before.

Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn

Photography by Darrien Craven
Instagram: _crvn_

Toyota Supra related stories on Speedhunters

‘Renaissance Red 2.0′ A90 Toyota Supra
Engine: Titan Motorsports-built 3.2L B58 short block, Brian Crower 100mm billet crankshaft, Carillo connecting rods with 3/8″ Carr bolts, custom CP stroker forged pistons with upgraded wrist pins, ACL rod bearings, ARP CA625+ head studs, ARP2000 main bearing stud kit, Titan Motorsports billet main caps, Visconti Tuning Fire-Lock head gasket, Titan Motorsports x ATI Damper crank pulley, Visconti Tuning upgraded hardware, Titan Motorsports-built 6-port cylinder head, CNC port/polish, Kelford Cams B camshafts, Ferrea +1mm exhaust valves, Ferrea +.5mm intake valves, Ferrea valve springs & retainers, Titan Motorsports x Full-Race turbo kit – Precision Turbo Next Gen 7275 T4 Divided 1.15a/r, Precision Turbo 46mm wastegates, TiAL Sport QRJ blow-off valve, Radium fuel system, TI Automotive BKS1001 brushless fuel pump, Injector Dynamics 1700X fuel injectors, Visconti Tuning Reflex wiring kit, Visconti tuning coolant pressure kit, Titan Motorsports x CSF direct port dry nitrous kit, Titan Motorsports 5bar MAP sensor, Titan Motorsports ice box kit, Titan Motorsports x Braille lightweight battery kit, Titan Motorsports methanol injection kit, CSF Gen 2 B58 Race X Charge-Air-Cooler manifold, CSF heat exchanger, CSF prototype main radiator, 2x CSF auxiliary radiators, tuned by John Visconti (Visconti Tuning)
Driveline: Pure Drivetrain Solutions Stage 3 transmission upgrade with billet convertor, Titan Motorsports billet transmission pan, SPL Parts diff bushings, Titan Motorsports upgraded axles, The Driveshaft Shop carbon driveshaft, Titan Motorsports driveshaft loop, CSF transmission cooler
Suspension/Brakes: KW V3 coilovers, Titan Motorsports x SPL Parts Ultimate rear multilink suspension, SPL Parts front control arms, SPL Parts front end links, SPL Parts caster bushings, Brembo GT 380mm 6-piston brakes
Wheels: Weld RT-S S81 beadlock rear/skinny front combo
Exterior: APR front splitter, APR GTC-300 rear wing, Titan Motorsports parachute mount kit, Shroud 10ft Parachute
Interior: Titan Motorsports roll bar, Tillet B1SC seats, Titan Motorsports seat brackets, Titan Motorsports parachute release kit

Adil Adams’ ‘Absolute Zero White’ A90 Toyota Supra
Engine: Titan Motorsports-built 3.2L B58 short block, Brian Crower 100mm billet crankshaft, Carillo connecting rods with 3/8″ Carr bolts, custom CP stroker forged pistons with upgraded wrist pins, ACL rod bearings, ARP CA625+ head studs, ARP2000 main bearing stud kit, Titan Motorsports billet main caps, Visconti Tuning Fire-Lock head gasket, Visconti Tuning crank damper, Visconti Tuning upgraded hardware, Titan Motorsports-built 6-port cylinder head, CNC port/polish, Kelford Cams B camshafts, Ferrea +1mm exhaust valves, Ferrea +.5mm intake valves, Ferrea valve springs & retainers, Titan Motorsports x Full-Race turbo kit with custom titanium charge pipe & down pipe, Precision Turbo Next Gen 7275 T4 Divided 1.15a/r, Precision Turbo 46mm wastegates, TiAL Sport QRJ blow-off valve, Radium fuel systemTI automotive BKS1001 brushless fuel pump, Injector dynamics BPC100 brushless controller, Injector Dynamics 1700X fuel injectors, Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator, Visconti Tuning Reflex wiring kit, Visconti Tuning coolant pressure kit, direct port dry nitrous kit, Titan Motorsports 5bar MAP sensor, Titan Motorsports ice box kit, Titan Motorsports methanol injection kit, CSF Gen 2 B58 Race X Charge-Air-Cooler manifold, CSF heat exchanger, CSF prototype main radiator, 2x CSF auxiliary radiators, Titan Motorsports x Braille lightweight battery kit, tuned by John Visconti (Visconti Tuning)
Driveline: Pure Drivetrain Solutions Stage 3 transmission upgrade with billet convertor, Titan Motorsports billet transmission pan, SPL Parts diff bushings, Titan Motorsports upgraded axles, The Driveshaft Shop carbon driveshaft, Titan Motorsports Driveshaft loop, CSF transmission cooler
Suspension/Brakes: HKS Hipermax IV SP Drag coilovers, Titan Motorsports x SPL Parts Ultimate rear multilink suspension
Wheels: Weld RT-S S81 beadlock rear/skinny front combo in custom gunmetal finish
Exterior: Eventuri carbon headlight cover, Titan Motorsports Parachute mount kit, Simpson 10ft parachute
Interior: Titan Motorsports roll bar, Tillet B1SC seats, Titan Motorsports seat brackets, Titan Motorsports parachute release kit

Jordane Jacobs’ ‘Nitro Yellow’ A90 Toyota Supra
Engine: 3.2 litre stroker Vistonti ‘Stage X’ build, ARP fasteners, CSF Gen 2 B58 Race X Charge-Air-Cooler manifold, Full-Race turbo kit with Precison Turbo Next Gen 7275, TiAL wastegates, Visconti Tuning Stage 2 fuel system, Injector Dynamics 1,750cc injectors, Insomnia Motorsports ice box system, CSF cooling system, EcuTek/Motiv ECU, tuned by John Visconti (Visconti Tuning)
Driveline: Pure Drivetrain Solutions Stage 3 transmission upgrade, Pure Drivetrain Solutions billet low stall torque converter, VTT/PST carbon fibre driveshaft, The Driveshaft Shop axles, SPL Parts diff bushings, EOS differential brace, Insomnia Motorsports differential vent kit
Suspension/Brakes: SPL Parts adjustable arms, LG Motorsports rear 15-inch brake conversion
Wheels: Belak 17-inch Skinny front wheels, Belak 15-inch rear Drag Pack wheels
Exterior: Eventuri headlight intake, Titan Motorsports parachute kit
Interior: Tillett carbon fibre seats, full trim