The B58 3.0-liter straight-six heart of the Mk V Toyota Supra has been the topic of much debateโit’s a massively capable, tuning-friendly engine, but traditionalists can’t seem to get over the fact that it’s made by BMW. Well, the Bavarian motor has now reached the Toyota GR86 and it’s all thanks to Formula Drift.
The 2022 Formula Drift season kicks off in a few hours from now with the Long Beach, California stage. However, thanks to the media day event held earlier in the week, we got to see some of the sideways tools that athletes are using this year, such as this Toyota GR86 Pro Drift, as its driver Jhonnattan Castro has labeled the machine.
We first covered the build in February and now the Dominican drifter has confirmed that the project was completed in just six weeks.
The heavy lifting was done by Stephan Papadakis, who was happy to put his master builder skills in the service of another team while also creating this 1,000 HP 2023 GR Corolla for his own team (this is manhandled by Ryan Tuerck).
Papadakis, who in 2020 took the B58 factory block to 1,000 hp for the Mk V Supra of his driver Fredric Aasbo, has prepared the same levels of power for this engine.
3D-printed engine parts
Together with its generously-sized turbo and a myriad of high-performance components including a 3D-printed turbo headers Papadakis managed to produce at the same weight and cost as a fabricated unit, the 3.0L unit fits the engine bay of the GR86, albeit with no room to spare. Note that the intake manifold has been produced using the same technique.
Another standout feature the builder showcased on Instagramโyou’ll find this in the second post belowโis a GR86 rear subframe customized to adopt a RTS/ Race Tech Service Quickchange rear end and Wisefab suspensionโthe latter developer also handled the front suspension.
Interestingly, when somebody asked Papadakis on Instagram about the differences between the rear subframes of the GR86 and that of its GT86 predecessor and development base, the builder assured the aficionado these are not different: “Itโs the same as the FRS and GT86 but we havenโt had any travel issues [the last part was included in the said question],”
That comparison is especially relevant since Jhonnattan Castro previously hooned a GT86 in Formula Drift. Returning to the pro drifter, you’ll see him delivering a walkaround of his Formula Drift Toyota GR86 in the first Insta post below.
Now, this is in Spanish, and, using our rusty language skills, we gathered that while the motor is indeed capable of handling a four-digit output, they’ll take things gradually byโฆ starting with 870 hp and 850 lb-ft (1,152 Nm) of torque.
As per the Formula Drift regulations, the transmission is a manual and packs a reverse gearโin this case, it comes with four forward ratios.
The Advan TC4 wheels shod in Nexen rubber are contained by the generous overfenders of the car’s Pandem Rocket Bunny widebody kit. And, despite the lack of a wing, things are pretty busy at the back, too. Just behind the rear glass, we find an oil cooler, while the trunk now accommodates a fuel cell.
The cabin is populated by multiple Sparco elements, such as the seats, multi-point harnesses, and steering wheel.
There’s also a splash of Mk IV Supra in there
Sure, that Rocket Bunny kit gives the car its meaner look, but the livery also deserves credit here. This is especially true since Jon Sibal (aka Jonsibal on social media), the artist behind it, sought inspiration in the GT500 5Zigen Supra that competed in the JGTC (Japanese Grand Touring Championship) decades back. And you’ll find that Mk IV Supra racecar in the third Insta post below.
Oh, and if you’d like to see this big-brother-engine scheme applied within the Nissan sports car range, we know just the thing. That would be Formula Drift athlete Chris Forsberg’s 2023 Nissan Z, which has received an R35 GT-R heart transplant, mandatory mods and all.