Staring Down the Barrel of an 800hp Mk4 Toyota Supra Revolver
No expense spared, Varis widebody A80 Supra by Garage Revolver of Japan.
Chris NichollsWriter
Back in 2018, Varis made a rather large splash at the Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) with this blue A80 Toyota Supra. Now, given that the Mk4 has been a tuner staple for literally decades and the 2018 show also saw the debut of a slew of demo cars for (then) new darlings like the Lexus LC and ZC33s Swift Sport, you might wonder how they achieved such a feat. The answer is simple - show off an 800hp monster that just happened to wear the first new complete widebody kit developed for an A80 in years.
Of course, developing and building such a car wasn't as simple as the previous sentence might make it sound. For starters, the base was hardly ideal. When current owner, Shunsuke Shimomura of Garage Revolver, picked up the car in late 2016 from a friend, it had a stout 3.1-liter forged engine with suspension and brake upgrades to match, but was basically a tatty old racer otherwise. There wasn't much to be found in the interior and in typical race car shape cosmetically. Hardly the perfect machine to show off at TAS.
Making things worse, Shimomura-san wasn't even a fan of the Supra in the first place. He took it off the previous owner's hands as a favor and not only has he always been a Nissan man, he hates the treacly nature of big sixes, so he wasn't the sort of candidate you'd imagine building a stunning Supra demo car. However, one key advantage Shimomura-san has when it comes to creating cool cars is his relationship with Varis. A long-time collaborator, he knows the Yahagi brothers, who run the outfit very well, and this means when it comes time to build a new car, he has their (collective) ear.
"I was chatting to President and CEO Naohiro Yahagi at an event one day and he mentioned that with the debut of the A90 coming up, and 2018 marking both the 25th anniversary of the car and ten years since the last major new tuning parts were produced for it, that the 2018 Auto Salon would be the perfect time and place to debut a significant new Supra build," he says. That was enough the convince Shimomura-san to pull the trigger on the build of a car he'd otherwise never touch, and he started working with the Yahagi brothers on how they could turn a tired old fighter into a shiny new hero.
More Glorious MK4 Supra Content:
As it turned out, Yahagi-san had been sitting on a new widebody design for the A80 for some time, so that definitely helped with development, but even then, many meetings and tweaks were needed to ensure it matched Shimomura-san's tastes. Being old school, Varis shapes everything in clay before making final molds and several of these changes came after he saw the car with the clay attached, which only added to the development time and stress levels for all involved - given it was being put together in a typical pre-TAS rush.
However, as many readers no doubt saw when we spotlighted it as part of our 2018 TAS coverage, the end result was worth it. Uniquely curvy among MKIV widebody kits, yet adding plenty of muscle (60mm wider front, 70mm rear) to the classic coupe shape, it's one of the few examples of a widebody kit that genuinely works with the original body lines, rather than just doing its own thing. The best part is, being Varis, it's plenty functional, too. That front lip's size makes it much more effective aerodynamically than most street lips and the vented bonnet and front fender cut-outs at the rear ensure hot, turbulent air is ejected effectively, keeping the car both cooler and more grounded. The rear diffuser also reduces lift, assisting the newly-attached custom Varis VSDC GT wing (the TAS car debuted without it) in keeping those rear tires pushed to the pavement.
Mechanically, the car (as it debuted) was pretty impressive as well. Given the lack of development time, Shimomura-san stuck with the built 3.1-liter but got Do-Luck to tweak it as best as possible prior to TAS 2018. That meant a prototype electronic throttle body to improve response and allow auto-blipping, ready for its eventual upgrade to its current Albins ST6 sequential, as well as a Do-Luck intake manifold, larger injectors, and a Radium fuel cell to give the engine all the air and fuel it needed. Do-Luck's Ito-san also fitted a custom-made ARC intercooler in a V-mount configuration to reduce pipe length and improve charge air cooling. "ARC normally doesn't do one-offs," Shimomura-san says, "but because Do-Luck has a great relationship with them, they agreed this time". Finishing off the engine was a brand new, custom-made titanium Amuse exhaust, which required the trunk floor be cut out to fit, given the stock fuel tank gets in the way otherwise. End result: 800hp.
With grunt sorted and no time to do anything to the brakes or suspension, Shimomura-san got to work on the interior, calling in specialists Shadow in the Knack Yard to re-trim the car in Bride seat fabric and Alcantara, and fitting a pair of Bride Gias II buckets. The wheel was replaced with an OMP Superquadro, while a Koobator K-01 Wi-Fi switch panel designed specifically for it (so the indicators and lights can be controlled wirelessly from the wheel, and the stalks removed) was fitted, along with an AiM MXS digital dash. The end result was enough to win Shimomura-san a top award in the 'Tuning Car' category that year, but the reality was, he still wasn't satisfied. Thus, he kept working on the car over the next two years or so, tweaking it until we got the call to say he was happy enough to get it featured withSuper Street.
The most obvious change from the 2018 show car is the livery. Back then, it was just a plain matte metallic wrap, but here, we have a stunning Rothmans-style livery that just compliments the car perfectly. Apparently, it was inspired by the sequential swap, complete with paddle shifters, which made the car much more race-like, as well as the curvy kit, which made Shimomura-san think a Porsche livery would work well. Gone are the original 19-inch TE37 Ultras and AD08Rs, too, in favor of custom-painted 18-inch TE37v Mark 2s and Toyo Proxes R888Rs, which again, suit the car to the ground.
Suspension-wise, the original custom Quantum coilovers have been replaced with new BC Racing ZR 3-ways, as cutting 50kg from the car and changing the weight distribution meant the old set-up just didn't work, and while the brakes remain the same (Enzo fronts and F50 rears), Shimomura-san has had them hard anodized gunmetal grey. The final alteration has been the vented headlight to allow the Trust T88-38GK turbine more air to breathe.
Inside, there have been changes, too. As well as the paddles, there's a new set of ODP Motorsport Track-Pro V2 pedals and the entire center console, along with the shifter and e-brake lever, is gone. (If you're wondering, there's now a custom, button-operated electronic parking brake in its place). The dash panel has also been wrapped in white.
The engine bay remains unchanged, but that's because Shimomura-san ran out of time to fit the new BorgWarner turbo before our shoot. Hopefully with that, and a swap to all-Radium fuel components, he'll see about 1,200hp. Finally, he plans to shave and fully tuck the bay, but that's further down the track.
So yes, always more to be done, because there's no such thing as a finished project car. However, even in its current state, it's still one of the most stunning Supras out there. We look forward to seeing its continued evolution over the coming months and years.
Owner: Shunsuke Shimomura
Hometown: Katsushika, Japan
Occupation: CEO of Garage Revolver
Instagram: @garagerevolver
Engine 272-degree 10.5mm lift cams; up-rated valves and valve springs; HKS cam gears; Greddy T88-38GK turbo, clear cam gear cover; ported and polished (three-angle grind) head; MLS head gasket; 86.5mm oversized pistons; 88mm stroker crank; super high-comp short block with forged pistons and rods; ARC one-off -mount intercooler; Do-Luck intake manifold, custom electric throttle body, Master Link; Ignition Project coil-on-plug ignition; custom wiretuck; Power House Racing full pulley kit; Power House Amuse custom titanium exhaust and centre-exit muffler; Radium 80 liter fuel cell; TRD oil cap
Drivetrain: Albins ST6 sequential with paddle shifters; ORC triple-plate clutch; Cusco LSD
Engine management: HKS F-Con V Pro+ ECU
Footwork and chassis: BC Racing ZR 3-way adjustable coilovers; all arms replaced with Ikeya Formula
Brakes: Gunmetal gray hard anodized Brembo Ferrari Enzo six-piston calipers (front) and Brembo Ferrari F50 four-piston calipers (rear), two-piece slotted Brembo rotors (front and rear) with matching gunmetal gray hard anodized hats, Brembo pads
Wheels and tires 18x10 -25 (front), 18x11 -30 (rear) Volk Racing TE37v Mark 2 wheels; 275/35 (front)m 315/30 (rear) Toyo Proxes R888R tires
Exterior: Varis Supreme JZA80 Supra widebody kit with FRP front and rear bumpers, carbon front lip, FRP front and rear fenders, carbon side skirts, carbon front fender side panel; VSDC carbon rear diffuser, carbon bonnet and custom pitch, rear GT wing; Car Shop Glow LED tail lights; Rothmans-style custom livery with Avery Dennison wrap
Interior: Custom weld-in cage; Bride Gias II driver and passenger seats; Shadow in the Knack Yard Alcantara and Bride logo fabric re-trim; Do-Luck meter link for AIM digital dash; Koobator K-01 wireless button plate; OMP Superquadro wheel; NRG quick-release steering boss; custom Pro-shift paddles; ODP Motorsport Track-Pro V2 pedal box; center console delete, shift lever and e-brake delete, trunk floor cut and new metal welded in to fit Amuse exhaust and fuel cell
Thanks:
Varis
Do-Luck RS
Rays
Toyo Tire
Shadow in the Knack Yard
Car Shop Glow
BC Racing
Play Ground
Helios Racing
Japrader
Special thanks:Elesol
Maruse
EMZ
Sousho Kensetsu
Marumago
Luk Yu
Copaze
Nisanroku
Hair Ism
Peako
2nd Generation Tatsu
