The Toyota Supra has taken on all kinds of drag racing rivals, but we’ve rarely seen it lined up against a Chevy Camaro. These cars are by no means natural enemies, but the battle between the 3.0-liter turbo and a 6.2-liter V8 is the stuff of legends.
The Supra is a couple of years old now, but the way it accelerates is still amazing. Toyota’s sports car has great launches despite only being RWD, and the engine punches above its weight. Officially, the BMW-sourced 3.0-liter turbo makes 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.
For 2021, it received revisions like a new cylinder head and exhaust manifold, plus revised pistons. During Car & Driver dyno testing, it put down 388 horsepower and 421 lb-ft of torque at the wheels, so it actually produces more than 400 hp at the crank. Also, it’s quite lite for this class, which may or may not help it.
Its rival packs one of the largest engines around. The 2022 Chevrolet Camaro LT1 features Chevy’s famous small-block V8 engine, a 6.2-liter producing 455 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque. So it’s got more than twice the displacement and 72 hp to its credit. Another key difference: while the Camaro uses Chevy’s 10-speed auto, the Supra has an 8-speed from ZF.
Twice the displacement, twice the humiliation
Enough with the numbers; let’s see what happens. YouTuber Sam CarLegion, who is known for his drag racing content, is in the Camaro and says this model has never been on his channel before. His rival is a Supra owner with a determined look on his face.
The first race ends really badly for the Chevy as it loses the battle right from the start. It spins its tires at launch and falls behind. During the rematch, the LT1 finally hooks up and pulls ahead initially, only for the Supra to catch up using what we presume is superior horsepower or a better gearbox.
Roll race? The two are completely level which is amazing when you think how different they are. So it’s a loss for the Camaro, which isn’t that bad when you consider it sounds amazing and costs about $40,000.
