writer: Adam S. Geczi
photographer: Henry Z. DeKuyper
The worldwide popularity of the Toyota Supra isn't a matter of perspective, but a well-known fact among car collectors and casual enthusiasts. The fourth-generation Supra was undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded sports cars that hard-earned money could buy-until Toyota executives decided to retire the mold following the '98 model year. Since then, the car has only become more popular. Finding a low-mileage, collectable-quality survivor after an almost 10-year lull is becoming nearly impossible. Coming across Ted Nguyen's exceptional '97 Blitz-optioned MKIV Turbo is then, at the very least, cause for a double take.
950whpThe 950bhp Supra we speak of with such top-of-the-line modifications is, simply, astounding. Paying homage to the right-hand-drive Blitz Supra, which in 1998 set the fastest road legal production car lap time of 7 minutes and 49 seconds around the world famous 12.92-mile Nrburgring in Germany, this modified special edition European model has a rich history and more power than the record-breaking original.
Ted, who calls Texas home, has idolized the 606bhp record-breaking Blitz Supra like many other devoted fans. After months of searching he finally found the perfect candidate for some voodoo magic with only 30K miles on the odometer. Brought into the U.S. from Canada, the car is one of 69 extremely rare 15th anniversary six-speed, twin-turbo, Alpine Silver, targa top editions manufactured in 1997 for worldwide distribution. Importing and certifying the car for street use wasn't easy, but with the hired help of an importer the car was given Texas plates. Ted's ultimate goal to resurrect the legendary Blitz Supra was quickly becoming a reality.
Ted invested more than $126,000 into this project over the last two years, using only the best equipment and highly acclaimed professional labor. Primarily relying on Blitz performance parts, he modified the powertrain, suspension, body and interior to maximize everything that a Supra has to offer in terms of both power and style.
The sequential twin turbochargers, which were part of the original equipment with the 2JZ-GTE 3.0L six-cylinder powerplant, were replaced as part of the Blitz turbo kit installation. But this only served as an intermediate setup for Ted as he soon decided to upgrade to a larger Precision Turbo PTE 71GTQ medium-frame turbocharger. The Blitz turbo was a bit conservative with the dyno reading roughly 460 whp. It's well-known that the 2JZ platform is capable of handling more than three times the original power rating of 320 bhp, especially when built by Autobanh Motorsports. The larger turbo is based on the Garrett GT2871R ball bearing CHRA, but its turbine and compressor housings have different flow characteristics that facilitate big power for people who want to drive fast cars. The PTE turbine is optioned with a .86 A/R housing. Because the A/R ratio is used to adjust the flow capacity of the turbine, this size increase effectively reduces exhaust gas velocity, especially at lower engine speeds, resulting in a slight increase in turbo lag, but improves top-end power as backpressure is reduced and the engine's allowed to breathe. A massive 60mm HKS GT wastegate provides full resistance against the excessive pressure produced during high boost. These upgrades are a must for big power, but are most beneficial in time attack and road racing applications.
Elsewhere, the induction system is still of the Blitz design. The Blitz front-mount intercooler provides maximum cooling capacity and a minimum pressure drop of only 0.7 psi for every 17 psi of boost. A good intercooler is essential because in the process of turning out 950 whp the turbine is superheated producing high-temperature, reduced-density, compressed air that needs to be cooled drastically to eliminate power robbing and potentially damaging pre-ignition.