Toyota Supra Still Popular
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The popularity of the Toyota Supra was confirmed at an online auction where a 1994 Toyota Supra Targa became the most expensive Supra ever sold. It was sold for a total of $121,000. The bidding reached $90,000 on the second-to-last day and didn’t budge till the final minutes of the auction, when the price reached mind-blowing levels.
This isn’t something to scoff at as you could easily purchase a track-focused GT3 Porsche 911 with the same amount of money. However, the Supra was only able to rack up such an impressive number due to specific circumstances. For one, it was purchased by a Toyota dealership for the express purpose of putting it on display next to the new fifth generation Supra. Secondly, the car itself was in extremely pristine condition with only 10,000 km on the odometer.
The Supra’s appeal, however, isn’t just limited to car enthusiasts. Movie-goers and videogame fans have also been big fans of the car for years now. This mainstream attention comes from the car being featured in media such as The Fast and Furious movies or the videogame Gran Turismo Sport. The Supra has also appeared in various other videogames over the years.
Japan’s bubble economy in the 1990s included a frenzy in the automotive industry as it manufactured respectable sports cars that measured up well against foreign competition. The Acura NSX, the 300ZX, the RX-7 and many others hit the market and impressed everyone. By this measure, the Supra was the youngest competitor to join the fight, hitting the market a fair bit later than other models. Even so, it had a considerable impact on arrival, with its 6-speed manual transmission, its ability to go from 0-100 km/h in just 4 and a half seconds and, of course, its widely respected engine code.
In fact, the Supra was so impressive in its capabilities that it soon became clear that anyone could easily surpass the power levels of an Aston Martin with some tweaks and bold upgrades.
When Japan’s bubble economy burst, it’s unsurprising that this golden age of sports cars came to an end. Japanese car enthusiasts soon found that there was nothing to pay attention to anymore. There were still the Subaru STI/Mitsubishi Evo rally rivalry and the Honda S2000, which proved to be exceptions under these circumstances.
It’s unfortunate, but the hype generated by the Supra was never repeated to that degree ever again. While this golden age is a thing of the past now, the Supra will continue to be a monument to that era’s sports cars.