What makes supras fast

It also had mighty effective ABS brakes and a limited-slip diff. Those electronics had their limits, mind. I remember being on the elevated section of the Westway coming out of London one wet night this was before the 40mph limit, and way before the average-speed cams that now enforce it. I floored it in third, the turbos caught on and suddenly the rear wheels were spinning frantically. But it kept going straight.

The Supra steered sharply and cornered with real conviction. That night in late I was delivering the car to Roger Bell, a superb road-tester, writer and driver — he'd given Andy Rouse some hurry-up when they were team-mates in works touring cars. Roger took the Supra to England's best roads with a then-new six-cylinder M3, and came back saying the Supra was brilliantly sorted, and the more involving and faster of the pair.

The A80's dash traced an extravagant monoposto sweep around the driver, leaving the passenger completely out of the picture.

In the manner of the time, it was pebble-dashed with buttons — the climate-control alone had fully a dozen plus two twist-knobs. The fact it was so well-equipped helped up the button-ante. The whole A80 series had a good run, from in Japan.

But in the UK it sold for just three years and copies in total. Coupe sales were falling, and the rising Yen didn't help so Toyota was culling its sprawling range. Emissions regs pushed it out of the US a couple of years later.

It runs a different tack from other movie hero cars, but the inexplicable, supersonic stardom of the Fast and Furious franchise means the MkIV Supra remains one of the most recognisable cars on our planet. The one pictured above, which the late Paul Walker drove in the first FF film, sold for many hundreds of thousands of dollars a few years back. And considering the franchise shows no signs of slowing down or even making sense , the next generation of petrolheads will now look to the new Supra to lust after.

Here's what they'll get Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The brake pedal also is soft at first but firms up once the pressure builds. Its hydraulically assisted steering is a bit dead on center and slower than the new car's sharply responsive electric unit.

But settle into the old Toyota and start driving it with a heavy hand, and it wants to get it on. Its controls come alive, from the tight action of its shifter to the satisfying feedback of its steering. Its transmission ratios make it easy to keep the 2JZ boiling, and its suspension soaks up the road with Lexus-like compliance. It doesn't feel mushy, however, even by today's standards, and body roll is kept in check.

It all feels a bit slow to respond after a hard run in the more immediate and athletic GR Supra, but the Mark IV's dynamics and overall performance hold up.

Its chassis rigidity, however, is a true sign of its age. Even with its roof panel tightly bolted in place, the A80's structure is flaccid compared to the milled-from-billet solidity of the modern machine. Surprisingly, the Mark IV Supra never claimed a spot on our 10Best Cars list, an honor we just bestowed on the new GR Supra for its combination of speed, refinement, and value.

It also perfectly describes the dynamics of its predecessor. 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 prices of fourth-gen Supras, especially stock low-mileage Turbos like this one, have been skyrocketing over the past two years.

One sold on Bringatrailer. But Meystedt isn't quite ready to part with his. But its appeal is mostly nostalgia. New Cars. Buyer's Guide. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Jessica Lynn Walker Car and Driver. View Photos. Jessica Lynn Walker. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. More From Comparison Test. If we're talking about buying horsepower, that's not necessarily the greatest deal. Luckily though, there is another option. An option cheaper by orders of magnitude, and also much faster. Yes, some places in the world will tune a turbo Supra with a stock short block to make almost 1, horsepower.

That's the Mk4 Supra from the mids. How is this possible? The Supra uses what's called the 2JZ engine. It's a 3. The block is cast iron, and the tops of the pistons are recessed to better allow the additional flow from a turbocharger.

The cylinder head is fairly regular with a DOHC setup and four valves per cylinder. The Supra came with the GE and GTE versions non turbo and turbo respectively , of the 2JZ and with the twin-turbo setup the engine can reach horsepower without changing any internals.

That may be because the engine was originally intended for horsepower from the factory. For the more than horsepower mark, it'll take some ponying up. But even then it only requires a head swap. That's assuming it's been fitted with the correct valves and camshafts.