1994 Toyota Supra Turbo

The A80 Supra was Toyota's grand touring flagship, but the tuning community turned it into legend. The 2JZ-GTE inline-six is perhaps the most overbuilt engine ever put in a production car. The factory bottom end can handle 700+ horsepower without modification. Tuners discovered this, and 1,000 hp street Supras became almost common. The Fast & Furious franchise made the orange Supra iconic, and prices went stratospheric. But even stock, the Supra Turbo was a sophisticated GT car with genuine performance. The sequential turbos eliminated lag. The Getrag 6-speed was nearly indestructible. It was the last of Toyota's great sports cars before they went conservative.

The Supra's rounded styling has aged well. Look for bubbling clear coat on early cars, especially on wing and roof. Black and Super White II are common; Renaissance Red 2-tones are collectible. The targa top seals deteriorate and can leak. Interior quality was high for the era but the leather wears on seat bolsters. Turbo cars have 'Turbo' badges on the rear — non-turbo cars are worth significantly less. The rear spoiler is a factory option, not standard. Documentation of stock vs. modified history matters hugely for value.

The Supra's reputation creates problems. Many have been modified, abused, and reassembled poorly. Finding a truly stock car is increasingly rare and expensive. The 2JZ-GTE is reliable when maintained but the sequential turbo system can be finicky. The non-turbo 2JZ-GE is actually more reliable but far less exciting. Manual cars are worth double the automatics — at minimum. The Getrag 6-speed is indeed nearly indestructible, but rebuilding it when it does fail is expensive. Parts availability is good thanks to the tuning community. Just expect to pay 'Supra tax' on everything.