[supra93]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-sho...ring-lap-time/

Tetsuya Tada says the automaker has not done a timed lap at the 'Ring, but speculates his car could handily beat the Z4's lap time.

Nurburgring lap times have become a crucial data point for high-performance vehicles. Automakers have claimed 'Ring lap records for everything from hybrid hypercars to front-drive hatchbacks and even SUVs.

So it's a little bit surprising that Toyota hasn't publicized an official Nurburgring lap time for the 2020 Supra. But at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada hinted at what he believes the new sports car will be capable of achieving at the 'Ring.

"We haven't had an official time attack yet," Tada told R&T through an interpreter. The engineering boss explained that the car would likely run into its 155-mph speed limiter on the Nurburgring's lengthy straightaway, hampering its lap time. "One day, perhaps, we cut the speed limiter and try the time attack," he said. "But even just driving it as it is, it's really fast. On the old course, it's very easy to break eights—7:50, 7:40. It will do that easily."

Compare that to the new BMW Z4, which was developed alongside the new Supra. The two cars share a platform, and their suspension and braking components are nearly identical. They offer the same 3.0-liter turbo straight-six engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, though the top-spec Z4 M40i makes 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft, compared to the Supra's 335 horsepower and 365 lb-ft.

Tada says the hardtop-only Supra is lighter and more rigid than the soft-top BMW, which could explain how the Supra out-accelerates the Z4 (a 4.1-second 0-60 sprint, compared to 4.4 for the BMW). And while BMW has not claimed an official Nurburgring lap time for the Z4, German publication Sport Auto ran a 7:55 in a preproduction Z4 M40i.

Of course, there's only one way to find out what the Supra can do at the Nurburgring. Consider this our plea: Toyota, take it to the 'Ring for an official timed lap.