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- Toyota unveils V8 Supra for 2026 Supercars Championship debut
- Walkinshaw Andretti United and Brad Jones Racing field six GR Supras
- Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood confirmed as Walkinshaw Andretti drivers
- 5.2-litre quad-cam V8 produces around 600 horsepower
- Supra Supercar will debut publicly at Bathurst 1000 in October
Toyota has lifted the covers off its V8-powered Toyota Supra, which will race in the 2026 Supercars Championship starting in February. Walkinshaw Andretti United and Brad Jones Racing will lineup six GEN3 GR Supras on the grid next year, with Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood both confirmed to be behind the wheel of the two Walkinshaw Andretti United cars.
The announcement arrives shortly after the order books for the current fifth-generation Supra have closed, which raises the question of why Toyota would field a car people can’t buy. Unlike British Touring Cars, V8 Supercars (now simply called “Supercars” for some odd reason) lost the “race on Sunday, sell on Monday” adage long ago after Holden shut down. Now, the Ford Mustang is the only vehicle on the grid that fans can walk into a dealership and purchase new.
Still, Toyota has supported the Supercars Championship with its popular one-make TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) GR CUP, which, for the past ten years, has seen over 30 Toyota 86/GR86 sports cars line up on the grid as a support category for select rounds. They’ve certainly done their bit for Australian motorsport, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Supra win races from day one with such a strong driver line-up.
“Participating in motorsport, as Toyota does across the globe, is an integral part of the development of our road cars, and the experience and knowledge we gain is at the heart of our TOYOTA GAZOO Racing brand and our GR performance cars, which is an ever-evolving and fast-growing space for us in Australia, with further exciting development to come,” said Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley.
“I’d like to thank everyone at Toyota who helped make the GR Supra Supercar a reality, and to Supercars, Walkinshaw Andretti United and Brad Jones Racing for partnering with Toyota for this historic entry into the Supercars Championship.”
Powering the V8 Supra is a quad-cam, 5.2-litre 2UR-GSE V8 with a square 94×94 (bore and stroke) specification, hydraulic variable valve timing (VVT), and a bespoke inlet manifold to produce around 600 HP. By comparison, the Supercars Ford Mustang runs a dual overhead cam 5.4-litre engine based on the Coyote, while the Chevrolet Camaro has a 5.7-litre LS-based engine.
The 2UR-GSE in dual overhead cam configuration is found in roadcars from Lexus and the 2016–2021 Toyota GR Dakar Hilux, including:
- 2007–2014 Lexus IS F
- 2015–2025 Lexus RC F
- 2015–2020 Lexus GS F
- 2017–present Lexus LC 500
- 2022–present Lexus IS 500 F-Sport Performance
Its sound is well-known, and the quad-cam setup should improve that. Walkinshaw Andretti United Director Ryan Walkinshaw said, “It sounds f***ing good,” at a media call in Sydney before the car was unveiled.
“What a moment today is, as the covers come off the GR Supra Supercar – a huge thank you must start with everyone at Toyota, for their trust, their belief, and their support of Walkinshaw Andretti United,” said WAU Director Ryan Walkinshaw. “An absolute mountain of work has been poured in to get to this point, which everyone involved should be immensely proud of.
“To see it in the flesh almost feels surreal, it’s a momentous day for Walkinshaw Andretti United, for Toyota and for Supercars… I still can’t believe how good it looks!
“The program ramps up now, it definitely doesn’t slow down. We can’t wait for the GR Supra to hit the track and turn its first laps in anger, but also for fans to see it up close and personal, starting at the perfect place, Bathurst!
“We’ve got some big races to try and win this year still, but I can’t help thinking about 2026 either.”
The V8-powered Toyota Supra’s next stop is Australia’s most famous racing track, Mount Panorama, Bathurst. It will be on display for public viewing and will perform demonstration laps for spectators at this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 in October.
Further activity is planned across the remaining rounds of the 2025 Supercars Championship, but the team is keenly focused on wind tunnel and AVL dyno assessments to finalise parity before the opening round of the Supercars Championship in February 2026.
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