The MKIV Supra is probably the most iconic Toyota vehicle ever built — between its classic styling and wicked 2JZ engine, the car has it all. And fans of this Supra don’t take kindly to those who try to use a different engine in the car. The guys at Nugget Garage don’t care about anybody’s feelings, though, and that’s why they stuffed a Toyota V8 into an MKIV Supra and added a rear-mounted turbo for good measure.
When this Supra first came to the Nugget Garage it had a naturally-aspirated Toyota engine under the hood and was in pretty rough shape. After some hard work, the Toyota was rocking a boosted mill and running in the 9-second zone…but the powerplant was smoking like a freight-train, so it was time for a replacement. Instead of building a stout 2JZ for the Supra, Nugget Garage decided to use a Toyota 1UZ V8.
The 1UZ engine retains the stock block and crank, but received upgraded rods and pistons to handle boost. A Haltech Elite 2500 ECU was selected to control the engine and mix the ethanol-based fuel Nugget Garage decided to use. The turbo system runs along the transmission tunnel of the car. An 88mm turbo was tucked into place where the stock fuel tank used to live. When Nugget Garage finally put the Supra on the dyno, it made a stout 919 horsepower to the tires before it ran out of fuel injector capacity to keep the engine fueled properly.
Watch this footage from Drag Videos Australia that shows Nugget’s Supra ripping off an impressive 9.43-second pass at over 150 mph. You can also check out the Nugget Garage YouTube page here to see the car being built.