Honda NSX, Nissan Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra – the holy trinity of ’90s Japanese performance car royalty. But who is king? That’s a tough one…
Many would argue the NSX, with its aluminium semi-monocoque construction and Ayrton Senna-tuned handling, is heir to the throne. Others might insist the GT-R deserves to be crowned king for its domination on the race track and grip like a gorilla on a zip line. Then there’s the A80 Supra, which celebrated its 30th birthday this year. Surely it would be king for its mythical tuner kudos and ultimate street cool?
I recently met with a group of A80 owners to see what the fuss is really all about. The rendezvouses point? Daikoku PA, naturally. Being night time, the famous parking area was packed with cars of all makes and models and lots of people enjoying the vibe.
At the top end of the PA I found the Supras, grouped together, lurking in the shadows. It either seems like they don’t play well with others or they don’t want their doors scratched. Or they feel a bit superior to all the ordinary cars. After all, the prices A80s command these days dwarf those of Lancer Evos, AE86s, and in some cases even the mighty GT-R.
Even booking a group shoot for this A80 Supra 30th anniversary story of sorts proved difficult for me. Unlike owners of other cars, the MkIV Supra owners I contacted were elusive, dismissive and seemed hesitant to meet. The guys on this shoot were difficult to book too, and weren’t too keen on driving around town for photos. Maybe they are trying to maintain the magical mystery that seems to shroud the Supra? A little mystery certainly helps to keep the values up.
The A80 went on sale in 1993, its running gear largely based on the Soarer Z30. During its development, Toyota used the A70 chassis with hand-built A80 bodies as test mules.
So why is the MkIV Supra held in such high regard? Well, for starters, it was one of the original hero cars in the Fast and Furious franchise. Like it or not, Hollywood is pretty good at making stars, both physical and mechanical. When Paul Walker took on Vin Diesel in that famous ’10-second’ quarter mile race, the Supra became an icon for millions across the globe. And when Walker sadly passed away, well, just take a look at the prices of some of the jewellery Princess Diana wore.
Then of course there are all the reasons which exist in the real world. The Supra’s bulletproof 2JZ-GTE engine has made it one of the most tuneable cars to ever come out of Japan. Toyota’s iconic twin-turbo 3.0L inline-six is known to support four-figure horsepower with ease, and I plan to take a closer look at the black car featured here as it’s generating a cool 1,200hp.
Then there’s the success that the chassis and aerodynamics had in various circuit-based racing series, not to mention drift and drag racing.
On the quarter mile, with its excellent drag coefficient of 0.33 – sitting between a Honda Insight with 0.25 and a 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia with 0.34 – it has seen plenty of quarter mile success. Cars like the HKS Drag Supra, Titan Motorsports Supra, and Vinny Ten Racing Supra have all run sub-7-second quarter miles. Which is rather fast.
It’s an icon, for sure. Those headlights, the tail lights, the wraparound cockpit style interior are all unmistakably ‘Supra’.
Unfortunately, by the late-1990s high performance sports cars simply weren’t selling as they used to, and when 1996 rolled around overseas sales of the Supra had ceased. The last few A80 Supras rolled off the factory floor in 2002.
The A80 will surely go down in history as equal parts peak ICE performance car and mythical Japanese hero. Happy 30th anniversary to the MkIV Supra.
Toby Thyer
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