Alex Unleashed on Cars- Toyota Supra MK4 (Racer, Rebel & Legend)

The MK4 Supra has to be one of the most revered Japanese sports cars of all time, up there with the Impreza, Skyline and the MX-5.

But, I wouldn't be doing the Supra justice if I didn't mention it's engine, the 2JZ 3 litre straight 6 twin turbo. But what's so special about it? Well, two things. One: durability, the cast iron block and strong pistons can accommodate up to 800 BHP bone stock, and two: the sequential turbochargers, with the first kicking in at low revs and the second at higher RPM designed to avoid turbo lag so your always on boost, clever indeed!

Launched in the UK in 1993, the Supra was the fastest Japanese car you could buy, and at a price of £37,500 the Supra was good value too, nearly half the price of a Porsche 911. With 322 BHP and a healthy 320 Ib/ft of torque the Supra had the power to hit 60 in just 5.1 seconds or 6.4 for the automatic version, meaning it could outrun cars costing more than double it’s price. But it also packs powerful brakes that can haul it from 70-0 in just 47.5 metres, less than either a Porsche 911 Turbo or Ferrari F355. And the Supra was well equipped, with standard air con and all the safety gear, only thing missing is a CD player, pity for a car with the grunt of a TVR and the comfort of a Porsche, the Supra is quite the complete package of a sports car.

Naturally, with as much performance as it has bone stock, the Supra soon found itself in the rising world of GT racing. The Supra raced in the JGTC (later Super GT) from 1994-2006 where it faced off against the best home grown Japanese as well as European & American supercars. The #36 Supra GT500 eventually won the championship in 1997 using a 2 litre 4-cylinder turbo from the WRC Corolla run by Toyota Team TOM’S but would later move to a 5.2 litre V8 (later 4.5) in 2003 before it was dropped in favour of the Lexus SC430. The Supra also got a showing at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans finishing 14th overall and 8th in class out of 20 overall finishers and 10 GT1 cars in one of the wettest Le Mans ever. Though during it’s racing tenure it was sadly overshadowed by its chief rivals: the Nissan Skyline GT-R and the Honda NSX, who racked up multiple championships and race wins in the JGTC.

But there’s another area the Supra found a home, the world of tuning. The Supra’s 2JZ engine was easily tuneable to power outputs ranging from 600-1000 BHP. Tuning firm Top Secret had one Supra at 986 BHP! Fellow tuning firm Blitz sent a 650 BHP Supra running 3 bar of boost round the fearsome Nürburgring in just 7:21 averaging 104.3 MPH back in 1997, which even today is a very fast time, quicker than the likes of the Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Aventador and Jaguar XE SV Project 8. 

But the most famous story of a tuned Supra happened here in the UK. Famous tuner Kazuhiko ‘Smokey’ Nagata drove his own tuned Supra rated at 1,003 BHP at an indicated 197 MPH down the A1 at 4am in 1998 and in damp conditions too. He filmed his daring stunt to reach 200 MPH so you can find the footage of him thundering down the road as the police hopelessly gave chase. He later spent the night in prison along with being banned from the UK for 10 years before going back to Japan. 

But why has the Supra become so legendary? At the time, the press didn’t rate it as a “future classic” and let’s be fair, no one in the UK would have known about the Supra’s exploits in Japan until the internet became widely available. And I doubt it’s 2 appearances in Fast & Furious would have done much more than make it a famous movie car. I think it’s not one single event that propelled the Supra to it’s legendary status but a combination of all those aforementioned factors and the escapades of the tuning companies as well, but also the fact it’s a rare and mysterious sports car from a period when Japanese sports cars became desirable and cool.

Year: 1993-1996 (UK)

Engine: 3 Litre Straight 6 Twin-Turbo

Top Speed: 155 MPH (Limited)

0-60: 5.1 Seconds

Power: 322 BHP

Torque: 320 Ib/ft

Weight: 1458 KG

Rivals: BMW M3 Evolution, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, TVR Cerbera 4.2, Porsche 911 Carrera 2 ‘993, Nissan Skyline GT-R, Honda NSX