Lightly Modified Nissan Z Drag Races Toyota GR Supra, Instantly Regrets It

But first, let's get acquainted with the contenders, beginning with the blue-painted Supra. Pictured at the Dunnville Autodrome in Ontario, the BMW-engined sports car uses the 8HP torque-converter automatic from ZF Friedrichshafen and Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber made to BMW's specs.

The single-turbo B58 engine is good for 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet (499 Nm) of torque on paper, but in the real world, everyone and their dog knows that it produces a bit more. BMW is also conservative with the crankshaft ratings of the M-exclusive S58 twin-turbo I6 and the S68 twin-turbocharged V8.

Sam CarLegion says the GR Supra 3.0 weighs 3,343 pounds or 1,516 kilograms with the automatic box, whereas the Nissan Z clocks in at 3,507 pounds or 1,590 kilograms. The weight difference between them obviously favors the Supra, and there's also the matter of peak torque and peak torque band.

The 'Yota develops 368 pound-feet between 1,800 and 5,000 revolutions per minute as opposed to 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) from 1,600 to 5,200 revolutions per minute for the heavier Z. Regarding the light mods, the Nissan sports a better intake system (from Z1 Motorsports) and much better tires (Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S compared to the factory-issue Bridgestone Potenza S007 tires).

You can think of the Pilot Sport 4 S as the successor to the Pilot Super Sport, with the PS4S boasting an improved contact patch design and rubber compound for dry and wet driving conditions. However, do remember that the Pilot Super Sport tires of the Supra were modified by Michelin specifically for this application and the BMW Z4.

Sam CarLegion previously recorded bests of 4.3 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) and 12.9 seconds in the quarter with the stock Z, whereas the modded Z in the video below improved to 4.1 and 12.7 seconds. Quite a big difference from only tires and intake, that's for sure! However, it sadly couldn't hold a candle to the Toyota GR Supra.

The owner clocked 4.0 seconds flat and 12.4 seconds, respectively. It goes without saying that 0.3 seconds is a lot, and you'd better believe that the Supra didn't break a sweat rolling that Z into submission. Be it manual shifting from second or full auto, the 'Yota made easy work of the modified Z.

Coming with either a six-speed manual or a Mercedes-based automatic with nine forward ratios, the Z carries a starting price of $42,970 for the 2024 model year. Its 400-horsepower V6 goes up to 420 in NISMO specification. As for the Supra with the inline-six engine, that would be $56,250 with either the manual or the eight-speed automatic transmission.