Some say that his brain is actually a sat-nav system and that he always faces north. All we know is that he is called The Stig, and he recently drove the new generation Toyota Supra on Top Gear’s test track, at the Dunsfold Aerodrome, in Surrey, UK.
The 2.83 km (1.75 miles) long circuit that includes 12 turns has long served as a proving ground of sorts, both for automakers and celebrity drivers alike. In the case of the new Toyota Supra GR, you could say it was a walk in park, as the coupe completed the course in 1 minute and 23.1 seconds.
Taking a look at the leader-board shows that it was as fast as the Porsche 997 GT3 and Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale. It also managed to beat some not-so-old supercars into submission, showing just how far the industry has come.
The Ferrari F430 Spider was one tenth of a second slower and Lamborghini’s Murcielago ran across the finish line in 1:23.7. Even the Ford GT40, Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series and V10-powered BMW M5 E60 were all SLOWER than Toyota’s new sports car, which shares its underpinnings with the latest Z4. The Lexus LFA (wet), Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 and Audi R8 V10 Spyder were a bit faster.
The Stig’s run in the Supra was presented yesterday, July 14, as part of Series 27, Episode 5, which also included a tribute to the Lotus 79 and a look at Iceland’s Formula Off-Road, as well as four celebrity guests invited: Will Young, Peter Wright, Mario Andretti and Clive Chapman.
Watch the video bit below.