There were never many 1990s-era Toyota Supra Turbos roaming the streets, expensive as it was new, and two decades later there are even fewer. Then, winnow out the abused, wrecked, modified…you get the idea. A clean A80 is rare. One in an unusual color combination, and an anniversary model no less, is rarer. That’s why drawing your attention to this one-owner 1997 Toyota Supra Turbo, unmolested and unmodified, is worthwhile.
The deep green paint and light tan interior are a classic color combination, and the fat chrome five-spoke wheels are original and correct. Under the long, shapely hood sits a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six—the legendary 2JZ-GTE—good for 320 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque.
The engine’s two turbos are not in any conventional configuration, either. Twin sequential turbochargers were a complex, expensive, and state-of-the-art solution to the problems of turbo lag at the time. Exhaust gasses spool the first turbocharger to provide boost (and torque) around 2,000 revs of the crankshaft. As revs increase, the engine routes more exhaust gasses to the second turbo, and it starts to add power as the crank spins to around 4,000 rpm. Of course, modern turbocharger design makes this sort of set-up obsolete, but it sure is cool.
Another cool touch is the Targa top, an important Supra feature for the third and fourth generation cars. But it’s the condition and history of this one that’s the majority of the appeal. It’s not Concours perfect—there’s some surface rust on some undercarriage components, and other minor cosmetic flaws—but the 94,793-mile Supra’s one owner maintained the car well. It’s a driver, and it should be driven by whoever wins this auction. Check out the listing over at Hemmings.
