In the first of our series of case studies, we take a look at a Toyota Supra owned by Spaniard, Jose Antonio Granja. Raced in Time Attack and Track Battle, the car features the Quaife QBE69G 6-Speed Sequential Gearbox.
Quaife products can be found in a wide variety of vehicles, from motorsport contenders to fast road cars. These products can be purchased off the shelf and fitted to an individual’s pride and joy, or included by OEMs within their high performance model lines.
Head to any race track within the UK and it won’t be long until you come across a car featuring Quaife driveline components. Extremely popular within clubman motorsport and used in disciplines ranging from circuit, oval, rally, drag hillclimb and time attack, to name a few, many have benefited from the performance potential of Quaife’s range of precision engineered components.
Of course, the UK is only the start! Quaife has an international reputation, with car and racing enthusiasts around the world equipping their models with Quaife products. Whether it’s Mustangs in America, Skylines in Japan or Golfs in Germany, customers have benefited from transmissions, differentials and gearkits manufactured in our Kent factories.
Check out our other case studies
Jose Antonio Granja, 49, from Marbella in Málaga, Spain is one such enthusiast who got in touch with us when investigating sequential transmission options after a friend mentioned how slow his existing gearbox was. He has owned his 3rd generation Toyota Supra for many years and initially chose it due to its design and reliability. Its keen handling characteristics led him to convert it into a full-on race car; Jose’s area of interest being Time Attack and Track Battle.
Jose has been taking part in track days for 10 years; however, he started taking part in Time Attack and Track Battle once he had fitted his new gearbox. The transmission Jose chose was our QBE69G 6-Speed Extra Heavy Duty Sequential Gearbox. A choice of adapter plates meant this transmission could be installed in Jose’s Supra, enabling him to benefit from this race winning, robust and quick-shifting product. Officially rated at 750 bhp, but regularly used in higher powered applications, the QBE69G was the ideal choice for what Jose had in mind.
To make the car as competitive as possible, Jose was keen to make the Japanese coupe as light as possible; such an important attribute, as those at Lotus will testify. The original engine was replaced by none other than a Radical Hayabusa V8; a powerplant that weighs just 88 kg. Although Jose was also considering a Cosworth YB engine with an aluminium block, the Radical Hayabusa engine won out; ‘The Radical V8 is a piece of art’ Jose exclaims.
Other weight saving measures include the fitment of ceramic brakes, a lithium battery, aluminium uprights and the stripping of all unnecessary features. The Toyota was lowered whilst Jose ensured a good roll centre remained. A flat floor, rear diffuser, rear wing and front splitter were added. A simple wiring system replaced the standard car’s loom, the fuel tank was relocated and a Cusco roll cage, electric steering pump and collapsible steering column was installed. In terms of bodywork, carbon bonnet and doors replaced the standard steel items, all in the name of keeping weight in check.
Jose has achieved many victories and podiums racing the Supra, but has never attacked the championships seriously…yet. Since fitting the new engine and gearbox combination, the car is now 7 seconds faster than before, admitting that it could be faster still! Watch this space…
