Of all the mid-90s tuner cars, the Mark IV Toyota Supra is one of the most beloved. Powered by the bulletproof 2JZ-GTE engine in twin-turbo dress, the Supra could turn out some impressive numbers. With enthusiasts quickly realizing they could tune it anywhere from 500 to 1400 wheel-hp with ease, it has become one of the weapons of choice for drag racers and, more recently, drifters.
But the powerful, turbocharged powerplant has proved to be both a blessing and a curse for the Supra's reputation. Owners soon began aiming for four-digit dyno numbers, ruining the balance and purpose of the car. Ask any self-respecting tuner to name some road-racing sport compact models and the name Supra will typically not be in the top 10, let alone the top 20.
This is where Mike Miranda and his New Jersey tuning shop, E-Shift Performance, come into the picture. A drag racer back in the day, Miranda caught the road racing bug a decade ago. With the resurgence of interest through weekend driver schools and time attack events, Miranda decided the time was right to build a shop car to represent E-Shift at his local road races. The twist was that E-Shift specializes in Supras. Miranda's vision was to modify Toyota's 3500-pound battleship to hang with all the lightweight speedboats.
Miranda wanted to keep his car as a daily driver, so gutting the car to reduce weight was not an option. The team at E-Shift removed the air conditioning and some underbody parts to lighten the car by about 200 pounds. They then turned their attention to extracting more power from the 2JZ, an easy task given the multitude of power adders available.
They installed a Turbonetics T66 ball-bearing turbo kit paired with a GReddy external wastegate. The air charge is brought in through an E-Shift intake system and SP intake manifold, cooled down by an HKS front-mount intercooler, and routed through custom piping fabricated by E-Shift. Exhaust gases are expelled via a custom exhaust manifold fabricated by E-Shift and out through an HKS TT Hiper exhaust.