The fourth-generation Toyota Supra is one of the most-hyped cars in the world. It's easily one of the best engineered Toyotas of all time, and the twin-turbocharged 2JZ inline-six engine is capable of greatness. Unfortunately, as it was delivered in the 1990s, the Supra is kind of a stinker. It's just too soft, too slow, and too boring to drive in stock form. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but the car you've been dreaming about all these years is a disappointment.
The thing that a lot of enthusiasts forget about is the intent of the car. The Supra was not designed to be a sports car or a track machine, despite what its big rear wing might belie. The Supra is a four-seater Grand Touring machine with an under-stressed engine, smooth and quiet demeanor, and solid (but not impressive) power delivery. Decades of popular culture and modified machines running faster than Toyota intended have warped our collective sentiment around this car. It's a highway cruiser, and I'm tired of pretending it's not.
320 horsepower and a 5.4-second zero to sixty time was pretty okay for 1993, though it was a bit lethargic with over 3,500 pounds of weight to carry around. Early in my career as a car writer, I got an opportunity to drive a co-worker's 100% bone stock Supra Turbo 6-speed, and while it was exciting and interesting to see a low-mile example with absolutely zero modifications, I was pretty underwhelmed by the experience. For years I've been mostly keeping this to myself, but this recent video from Vin Anatra has given me enough strength to speak my truth.
The Supra is kind of boring if you don't modify it. You might think a Supra will make you Dom Toretto, but his car was seriously modified, too.
This big white targa-topped turbocharged machine is a new addition to Vin's somewhat haphazard collection of so-called driver's era cars. He's been buying up a bunch of cars to clean up and sell lately, and this Supra fell into his lap and came home with him for an allegedly very little amount of money. The unfortunate news is that, while the car is largely stock under the hood, it was once fitted with a massive stereo system, it has been repainted, and worst of all, it's an automatic.
This Supra is possibly among the worst of the bunch, as the automatic definitely adds to the grand touring ethos, but totally kills what little fun was left with the six-speed models. It's also one of the best models to upgrade into the car you wish it was. Given the right wheels, the right suspension, a few mild upgrades to the engine, and a manual transmission swap, this car could be a lot of fun to drive, and really cool to look at. As it sits, man, I wouldn't want anything to do with it.
I look forward to watching what Vin does with this Supra to get it up to his exacting standards. I'm really surprised to see it in his hands as it is right now, because I definitely don't see this as a Driver's Era car without some basic modifications, at least.
A modified Supra has plenty of potential to be good, but they can certainly be overmodified, as well. Vin talks about his last MK4 Supra a lot in this video as well, and I would call that one a great example of being over modified. If you put too large a turbo on the 2JZ, it'll take the boost and make tons of power, but the lag will make it perhaps more boring than stock.
There's a real sweet spot with these, and I hope he hits it.
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The Mk4 Toyota Supra is underwhelming in stock form, lacking the excitement many expect.
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This critique challenges the mythos surrounding a car often glorified in pop culture.
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The Supra's legacy is complicated, as it was designed more for comfort than performance.
