When Francisco Gurule isn't indulging in his pastime shooting photos of his '97 Alpine Silver, Limited Edition, 15th Anniversary Supra, he can be found either driving it or working on it. Franciso says 99 percent of the work involved in getting the stock-block 2JZ-GTE to hit the 718 whp, 577 lb-ft of torque mark was accomplished by him.
Generally, reliability and horsepower figures multiplied by factors of more than two don't mix, that is, unless you're dealing with Toyota's 2JZ. While the power figures are impressive, it isn't hard to believe Francisco's claims of driving his Supra 1,000 miles to Texas' TX2K Supra meet and cranking up the boost, leaving a Hayabusa rider little more than a whiff of what the 2JZ/Precision Turbo 74 GTS combo ignited, compressed and ultimately spit out. The MKIV's augmented with a GReddy three-row intercooler and a TiAL 46mm wastegate that's popped opened and closed when the HKS EVC VI boost controller tells it to; in Francisco's case that's 1.1 bar on pump gas and 1.7 bar on C16. Either way, all is tuned with nothing more than an HKS VPC and GCC combination and monitored with a PLX wideband air/fuel ratio meter and GReddy peak and hold gauges. Surprisingly, the ECU remains completely untouched. Fuel vapors for the Hayabusa guy come courtesy of twin Walbro in-tank pumps, 880cc/min injectors, Powerhouse fuel rail and Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator. Francisco also ensured all that torque is applied effectively with the addition of a Getrag six-speed gearbox fitted with an HKS triple-disc clutch and chrome-moly flywheel. HKS Hipermax II drag coilovers keep the tires planted properly and Hawk brake pads, in tandem with steel-braided lines and stock rotors and calipers, get them to stop rolling on a whim.
Francisco says he plans to turn up the boost to an even 2.0 bar and see just where that leads him. Is a fully built 2JZ-GTE in this Supra owner's future or are we about to witness one of the most powerful stock-internal 2JZ's?