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Toyota Supra Turbo - The inconspicuous hero

Name: Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof 1993
Brand: Toyota

Created on March 19, 2022

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Jonathan Oppenheim / Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Toyota / Werk

Bruno von Rotz

Roger Gloor

Toyota

Jonathan Oppenheim / Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Toyota / Werk

Bruno von Rotz

Roger Gloor

Toyota

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Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof (1993) - Star of the JDM scene

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Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof (1993) - Electrically extendable front lip

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Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof (1993) - Roof-high rear wing

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Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof (1993) - Faster than it looks thanks to 330 hp

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Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Sport Roof (1993) - With removable roof center section

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Rare and expensive: a Toyota Supra Turbo Sport Roof in pristine original condition

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The original rear silencer is a rare sight: it was usually the first to be replaced by something with more volume.

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In the USA, this paint color was called "Renaissance Red".

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This front was perceived as aggressive at the time because of all its air intakes. From today's perspective, the Supra smiles.

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This photo proves it: The wing does not restrict the view to the rear.

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The 2JZ engine is a porsche-eating wool-milk sow: powerful, economical and very reliable

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The cockpit facing the driver was always black. Only the seats and carpets had other colors.

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The rear lights with the four individual lenses are a typical Supra feature.

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The wildly playful Supra lettering is something of a design classic today.

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Ellipsoid headlights were standard. Toyota had already used them on the Sera.

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Let's be honest: a Ford Sierra XR4i has an even more provocative wing.

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The 17-inch wheels are very plain by today's sports car standards. The lettering on the brake calliper is original.

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The HKS divert-air valve provides the characteristic hissing sound when the load changes.

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Toyota was so proud of the register charging that they wrote it again on the valve cover.

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The Getrag gearbox shifts quite smoothly but precisely. The badge refers to a special model for the market launch in the USA.

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Removing the roof takes time. The small wind deflector can be seen at the top of the windshield frame.

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In mainland Europe, leather upholstery was standard. In Great Britain, Japan and the USA, fabric upholstery was also available

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The odometer and indicator lights have been moved next to the instrument cluster.

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Typical sports car, typical Japanese: excellent readability, but somewhat sterile running instruments with rev counter in the center

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Supra enthusiasts pay a considerable surcharge for this small plate.

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Factory photo in European specification: Supra Turbo Sports Roof with hood scoop and rear wing

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Does it have to be? The huge German control plate is not really conducive to the front view.

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Unfortunately, the Supra was never really able to gain a foothold in Europe.

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A Supra Coupé in US version, recognizable by the side position lights

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This is what the Supras once delivered to Switzerland looked like: Air scoop at the front and no wing at the rear.

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And this is how the Supras usually look today: Modifications such as larger wheels and sponsor stickers are all the rage in the scene.

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One of the five cosmetically identical film cars in Paris in 2016. Three other Supras were only used for interior shots.

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The predecessor: Supra of the A70 generation

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Summary

Japanese sports cars are often said to lack emotion, despite their technocratic perfection. When the fourth-generation Toyota Supra was launched, it was also accused of not being enough of a sports car. It wasn't until eight years later that this changed - admittedly without Toyota's involvement. This article introduces the Toyota Supra Mk. 4 and explains how it became one of the most famous movie cars of the 21st century.

This article contains the following chapters

Toyota squares the circle
Room for improvement
"A 2JZ engine, no shit!"
Only the best for Europe
4000 rpm torque
Bias
No success in Europe
A momentous defeat
No successor until 2019

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

We've all driven a Supra at some point. We've pushed the cold engine into the limiter, rolled over several times, drifted wildly around corners, outpaced Ferraris, Lamborghinis and sometimes even the police - even though (or because) we didn't even have a driver's license back then and only knew a little more about cars. When the first serious car racing games for PC and PlayStation appeared at the turn of the millennium, the fourth-generation Toyota Supra was the latest wonder weapon from Japan and the hero of the screens alongside the Nissan Skyline GT-R and Mazda RX-7. In 1994 and 1997 respectively, "The Need for Speed" and "Gran Turismo" ensured that an entire generation of car fans still smile wearily at the sight of a Swabian sports car. Six cylinders is fine – but water-cooled, in line and forced-induced by at least two turbochargers, please. The Japanese had long since caught up with the Germans in terms of standards, engineering skill and perfection, but without clinging to anachronisms glorified as tradition. In short: at the end of the nineties, the real Porsche shocks no longer came from Wolfsburg, but from Kanagawa, Hiroshima and Aichi.

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