If you’ve ever stood in a Tim Hortons parking lot arguing about which generation of Supra is best, this article is for you. The Toyota Supra isn’t just a car – it’s a cultural monument. It’s Fast & Furious. It’s dyno queen. It’s “I swear it made 900hp before the transmission exploded.” But where did it all begin? And more importantly, how did we go from refined Japanese engineering… to stuffing 2JZs into lawnmowers?

Buckle up. This is the real history of the Toyota Supra – and the absolutely ridiculous things we’ve done to it.

It All Started with a Celica… Seriously

Before it became the tuner icon we know today, the Supra was a humble spinoff of the Toyota Celica. In 1978, Toyota decided the Celica needed a little more muscle – so they stretched the nose, crammed in a straight-six, and gave birth to the Celica Supra (A40). It had pop-up headlights, rear-wheel drive, and about as much horsepower as a modern lawn tractor (OK, 110hp, but who’s counting).

No one knew what was coming.

The ’80s Called: They Want Their Digital Dash

The second-gen Supra (A60) rolled in during the early ’80s, and suddenly we had digital dashboards, boxy fender flares, and enough angular bodylines to slice open your hand. It was still Celica-based, but now it was fuel-injected, had an independent rear suspension, and made nearly 160hp. In 1982, that was enough to outrun your dad’s Buick. Barely.

Ridiculous thing we did: Swapped in turbo motors from wrecked RX-7s just because we could. Half the time, the wiring was done by someone’s cousin who “once installed a head unit.”

Then Came the A70 – Boost, Baby

In 1986, Toyota finally said, “let’s get serious.” The Supra (now a separate model, not tied to the Celica) got turbocharged, muscular, and moody. The 7M-GTE was Toyota’s idea of a performance engine… if you ignored the infamous head gasket issues that turned your engine bay into a steam room.

Still, the A70 Supra was a proper sports car. It had adjustable suspension, digital tech, and the kind of road presence that said, “I know what a torque curve is.”

Ridiculous thing we did: Installed boost controllers from eBay and turned it up until the head lifted. Then blamed Toyota.

The Legend: A80 Supra – 2JZ or Nothing

Ah yes, the 1993–2002 Supra, or as it’s known in the car community: The Chosen One. The A80 Supra gave us the almighty 2JZ-GTE – a twin-turbo inline-six so overbuilt, it was probably forged in Mordor. Stock internals? 800hp. Tuned right? 1200hp. Want to break the sound barrier? Just ask your tuner nicely.

Thanks to Fast & Furious, the A80 became a pop culture icon. Orange paint. Giant wings. Wheelies in reverse. You know, realism.

Ridiculous thing we did:

• Removed twin turbos to “go single” but never upgraded fuel or cooling
• Added body kits so wide they scraped both curbs at once
• Claimed 1,000hp on forums with zero dyno proof
• Paid $140,000 for a car once worth $14,000

Then It Died… Or Did It?

After 2002, Toyota shelved the Supra. Like a true hero, it vanished at its peak. For years, tuners hoarded them like gold bars. Prices went up. People posted Craigslist ads asking $60K for automatic N/A models “because JDM.”

Ridiculous thing we did: Turned crashed Supras into coffee tables and made “2JZ swap everything” the official slogan of car meets.

A90 Supra – BMW Heart, Toyota Soul?

In 2019, Toyota shocked the world with the return of the Supra… and then shocked us again when we popped the hood. Yes, it’s co-developed with BMW, and yes, it uses the B58 inline-six from the Z4.

But guess what? It rips. The A90 Supra is fast, agile, and tunable. People who once screamed “not a real Supra!” are now quietly building 600hp street missiles with it.

Ridiculous thing we did:

• Argued online for months that “it’s just a Z4”
• Installed fake hood vents over the already-fake factory hood vents
• Spent $500 on LED underglow to “make it look like the OG one”

Honorable Mentions: The Supra Community’s Greatest Hits

• 2JZ-swapped Miatas, Volvos, and even a Prius
• Burnouts in dealership parking lots
• Drag racing Supras with Bluetooth driveshafts (it disconnected mid-pass)
• TikToks claiming “it’s a Supra bro” with no context and a Honda Civic in the shot

So, What Did We Learn?

The Supra is more than just a car. It’s a symbol. Of overengineering. Of tuner culture. Of that one guy who always says, “just wait ‘til I finish the build.”

And yeah, we’ve done some ridiculous things with it. But isn’t that kind of the point?

Still dreaming of a Supra?

Check your local classifieds — just be ready to trade a kidney, a down payment, and possibly your dignity.

Until then, keep boosting… responsibly.

Chenaraa.com

We don’t just write about cars. We romanticize them, abuse them, and then blog about the whole mess.

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