Launched way back in 1978, the Toyota Supra went through four generations before being discontinued in 2002. The name is back in the Toyota range now, though, with the fifth generation coming to market in 2019. The name is derived from the Latin prefix supra-, meaning to surpass or go beyond. Renowned as a sports car and grand tourer, the Supra began life as a Celica variant, with the name being used in its own right on the A70 version from 1986. 

The fourth generation of the Supra, the A80, began production in April 1993. The redesign saw Toyota place great emphasis on making the Supra a serious sports car and production was moved to the Motomachi plant in Toyota City. The twin-turbo version, using the Toyota 2JZ-GTE engine, had a 0-60 time of just 4.6 seconds and covered the standing quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds. Export versions of the car (for European and American markets) featured an upgraded engine with smaller turbos and bigger fuel injectors. 

Strenuous efforts were made to reduce weight, with aluminium used for the bonnet and front cross-member, and despite numerous additional features (dual airbags, traction control, bigger wheels and tyres and that additional turbocharger), the A80 came in at 91kg lighter than its predecessor.

With the Supra back in Toyota’s range (the A90), interest in the A80 has surged and prices have risen accordingly. A Car and Driver comparison test, in 2019, between the older car and the new version drew the conclusion: “Although quite different and separated by three decades of engineering, these two performance machines have many of the same mannerisms. They clearly share some of the same DNA.”

The vendor believes that less than one-third of the total production of UK-spec Supra A180s remain in use. He acquired the car in February 2019 and understands that the previous owner had the car for some 19 years, during which time it was kept garaged and little-used.

Under the previous and current owners, the car has had numerous items replaced to retain its condition and performance.

L 552 HJH comes with a thick file of paperwork. The original owner’s manual and associated booklets and service record are all still in their original wallet. There are lots of previous MoT certificates, and numerous receipts for work done and items purchased. 

The car has an MoT valid until Feb 2023. 

 

Even a quick glance at the exterior reveals that this is a car that’s been carefully looked after. The silver paintwork looks good and the only apparent blemishes are some small stone chips on the passenger door and a small scratch on the driver’s door. The car looks great and its styling hasn’t dated.  

The glass in the driver’s window has some vertical scratches on it, and there are two minor stonechips on the windscreen. 

All four alloy wheels have slight evidence of corrosion, mostly around the tyre valves. All four tyres have plenty of life left in them and both front tyres have been replaced in the past year.

The interior also reflects careful ownership. While the driver’s seat has some evidence of wear, as one would expect of a car of this age, and could probably benefit from a clean, the passenger seat and rear ‘+2’ seats are largely unmarked. The dashboard, centre console, switchgear and steering wheel all look remarkably good. 

Both door panels are in great condition, although the loudspeaker grille on the passenger door has a small hole in it. The kick-plates in the door apertures are very clean and tidy, and the carpets in the front have been protected by overmats, although the carpet in the driver’s footwell is a bit grubby. 

In the boot, the carpet liner is pretty good, and below this a cover hides the space-saver spare wheel, which looks unused. Remarkably, all the original tools, including the jack, wheel brace and branded spanners and screwdrivers, are in their allotted compartments, although they show signs of their age.     

The vendor was not present at the time of our photo shoot, which precluded a proper test drive, but the car starts on first turn of the key. The engine note is significantly enhanced by the upgraded stainless-steel and titanium exhaust, although the owner still has the stock exhaust and will supply this with the car. The vendor assures us that the car drives well, with no issues. 

All the switchgear appears to work as it should – the electric windows go up and down smoothly on the switches, the radio works and its automatic aerial goes up and down with the on/off switch. 

The vendor reports that in the previous owner’s tenure, he had a lot of work done at Extreme Performance in Leicester, including new OEM headlamps, a full service, a new cam belt and auxiliary belt, all fluids replaced (gearbox, diff, engine, brake, coolant), new front- and rear- brake discs and pads (OEM), new front suspension, new rear tyres, a new radiator, new PAS cooler and fully refurbished front calipers. 

Since purchasing the car the vendor has replaced the front-to-rear brake line and he’s also had a new (OEM) clutch and flywheel fitted, along with a Whifbitz stainless-steel and titanium 3" exhaust. The car has recently had a full service and new front tyres. Invoices for much of this work are included in the file of paperwork. 

The Supra is undoubtedly a modern classic, and this UK-spec example is an increasingly rare beast. It’s clearly been carefully looked after and had a lot of money spent to retain its fast grand-tourer status and performance. 

Its condition both inside and out belie the car’s age and mileage. If you’re looking for a fourth-generation Supra, you’ll do well to find one better than this.