When it comes to un-restored preservation, there are really three different classes. Survivors are cars that live in a largely original form but still bear signs of age. Creampuffs are cars that typically have very little street mileage and are usually free of any age related flaws. And then we have mothballed cars exactly like what we’ve found today.
This 1990 Toyota Supra Turbo has 92 kilometers on the clock. Not 92,000; 92. (That’s 57 miles for you yanks) It was bought new in 1990 by the owner of the Toyota dealership where it now sits for the sole purpose of mothballing and selling when its value rose as a future classic.
 
And unlike many survivor cars, this one has the options you want. It’s the turbo model, with a five-speed manual, in red with the removable targa roof. Not a bad option sheet!
 
These were hot cars when they came out in 1990. The turbocharged three liter straight six made 232 horsepower and 240 ft lbs of torque. This was enough to make it one of the fastest Japanese cars available at the time. This engine looks clean as they day it was made and very well might be the cleanest one in existence.Â
 
The interior is equally minty. Plastic wrap still adorns the seats and door panels and it probably still smells like 1990 in there.  Supras have always had nice interiors and this one in grey leather looks like a great place to sit on curvy roads. And analog boost gauges are always awesome.
These cars weren’t cheap either and they sold for over $25,000 in 1990. That’s an equal amount to the MSRP of a 1990 Chevrolet Corvette!Â
 
It’s hardly a bargain even today as the dealership wants an eye watering $69,998 (CDN) for it! While that’s slightly off the edmunds.com quoted value of $3,500 it’s pretty hard to put a value on these museum quality cars. To me, the asking price says “it’s not for sale but if you make us a ludicrous offer, we might accept it.”Â
 
The ironic bit is that if the buyer had waited three years and bought a MKIV turbo Supra, it would actually sell for that amount. Nevertheless, if a wealthy middle age man wants to own the brand new turbo Supra that he lusted after in high school, they might have a sale.
All photos were by Country Hills Toyota dealership in Calgary AB
Two years ago this dealer wanted $50K for it. If it doesn’t sell, raise the price. Actually he gets more interest by not selling it. Lots of free advertising.
Due to the thriving oil industry, the economy in Alberta is quite booming. The dealer must feel there’s someone out there who’s eventually prepared to pay that price. Unless someone is a Supra fanatic, I don’t see the great appeal of it. It’s not a classic. I’d be more contented restoring a Supra, and not worrying about keeping it in truly showroom condition.
Beautiful car, but most definitely not $69,000 beautiful. I’m surprised Toyota doesn’t make some sort of contra offer to him. Two loaded Corollas for your Supra. For placement in the Toyota USA Museum, or the one in Japan. Given the mileage is so low, might as well keep it low.
At the time, I thought this Supra looked like what the RX-7 evolution should have looked like. While the RX-7 looked like a 928 copy.
The RX-7 looked more like a 944 copy. Though the RX-7 was a natural progression for the 2 seat sports car, the Supra was always more of a GT car.
I’d be interested in the early CRX in the parking lot.
The age-appropriate trade-in.
Actually I think that is a Corolla liftback–one of the vaunted AE86s, maybe?
Last year I saw a brand new 87 Buick GNX—with 95 miles—being sold at John Scotti, in Montreal. Don’t remember the asking price though, but checking their website the car is now listed as sold.
There are lots of GNXs with under a 100 miles and they aren’t worth what everyone thought they would be since way too many were mothballed as investments. In the 90’s there were always 1 or 2 for sale in Autoweek, Hemmings and the like and they were asking sticker price and the cars were usually in there for a long time.
Dealerships are such silly, greedy bastards, always on the look-out for that one, solitary moron with more money than brains.
I have always liked these even more than the next gen model, the lines seem clean and the car doesn’t look so bulbous. My uncle had one new back in the day after a lifetime of Porsche ownership and said he liked it better than any of his 911s, to me that was an impressive recommendation. But the biggest appeal is they can be had for such a low cost. This is way too expensive.
I agree, these were so much better looking than the strange looking 1993 and up Supras, with their “superbird” style ridiculous spoiler and cheap looking plain interior.
These 1986 and up version were really good looking, probably one of a handful of Japanese cars I like. I always though this generation took a good number of styling influences from the 1984 Corvette and the 1982 Firebird.
Count me in as another one who prefers the clean lines of this Supra to the garish curves of its successor – though the latter is so ridiculous in a Chip Foose way I can see why it’s considered “timeless”.
That said, even though the MkIII Supra hit the bottom of its depreciation curve a few years ago and is starting to appreciate (according to Hagerty), this one is overpriced, and I don’t want something that’s been sitting for 23 years.
mnm, the Toyota in this condition and at the ridiculous price asked, would still be cheaper than a same year, dealer-condition Porsche 911, as well as always cheaper to maintain, so the value of your Uncle’s advice still holds true.
The rarity of this car in this state is quite staggering as they were monsters for rust and the rice-rocket/fart can crowd. I dig, absolutely love, a showroom spec car. Its literally a time-warp experience from the year I graduated high school and an item I so badly wanted, but never in my wildest fanstasies could I ever afford. I don’t know that this experience is worth the asking price, but I would seriously consider an offer.
Oh I dont know about that, a 1990 911 still hasn’t hit a huge appreciation curve yet, you can find some pretty nice ones for less than $70k, more along the lines of $30k or so for a really nice one. The Toyota of course will be cheaper to maintain, but if you ever tried to sell the Porsche you would have buyers lined up… not so much with a Supra. Personally for this kind of money I would rather pick up an NSX… best of both worlds.
But this is fantasy money. You can find this generation Supra on the used market for comparably pocket change, even in good condition. It won’t have 52 miles on it of course, but you also won’t be afraid to drive it and enjoy it.
It is always seems strange to me when dealers have a cool classic model in their showrooms next to the new cars. I get that it might draw more foot traffic but I feel like often the associations between the old and the new are not exactly favorable. Seeing this Supra would just make me nostalgic for the days when Toyota built exciting cars and leave me unsatisfied with buying a Camry or Corolla. My local Fiat dealer has a fairly late model Spider that, while quite pretty from a distance, just screams Fix It Again Tony. I feel like Fiat has worked hard to distance themselves from that era, not sure what the dealer was thinking. The Honda dealership nearby has a Z600 in the lobby of their service center though and I just think that one is fantastic. It is so funky and unique but you don’t actually want Honda to start making it again.
My VW dealer has a 60s Bug in the lobby, very tastefully customized, its cooler than any new VW they have, the Ford dealer nearby has a couple classic Mustangs and a 90s Cobra R in the showroom, our Honda dealer has an absolutely MINT 94 Civic Si on display, Subaru dealer has a mint Impreza RS, Nissan dealer has a restored 240Z, Land Rover dealer has a couple old Series IIs and a Defender, the Porsche dealer has an old 911 and 356 on display, the local Ferrari dealer has more old classic Ferrari, Maserati, and even a Fiat on display than they do new Ferrari.
Seems to be a trend but I agree, reminds me of how much better they made them back in the day! The new Ferrari look like cartoons next to the old ones, same with the Porsche, Honda and Subaru haven’t gone too far off point though. IIRC that 240Z isn’t priced to bad, like $24k or so. It’s left over from some program they used to have where they would sell/finance factory authorized restored models at the dealers.
Ah yes the restored 240Z.
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/18/business/remember-that-datsun-240z-you-drove-25-years-ago-nissan-hopes-you-will-buy-it.html
Nissan jumped about the growing retro car boat with not an updated retro model of Z but with a true restoration classic. The price for a fully restored Classic Z was not truly to bad a price for a factory approved resto. I would rather have an old Z that was restored then pay to own a restored Nazi Shit box like the original Beetle.
Yea those Z cars were a pretty good value, but the ones I saw were not quite as perfect as you would expect. Still, it was too expensive, I heard they eventually blew them out at $12-15k on those, over $20k was pushing it too much. Too bad too, as I heard rumors that had it been successful Nissan was going to do the same thing with other classic Nissans like the original 2-dr Pathfinder and the 510. Would be a nice use of the resurrected Datsun name.
Our Mini dealer has a vintage rally Mini in the showroom, for obvious reasons. It just makes the new Minis that much cooler.
One of the local Ford dealers has the first car they sold a model T in their showroom most of the time. They do put it on display at local stores, other events and use it in the local parade. I guess the owner didn’t trade it in until the 50’s or early 60’s. When they figured out it was the first car sold at the dealership they decided to restore it and keep it.
There is also a slant-nose Porsche in the back ground too.
I guess their really are suckers born every minute.
The mighty 7M its come along way since it was in 70s Crowns and Corona MK2s. But it will retro fit, yeah too much coin for this.
When I was selling Toyotas in the early 90’s, the Supra Turbo models like this were stickered closer to $30K. In 1991 money that was like $53K today! Or a loaded supercharged Previa. Or a really nice Cressida.
The one thing I remember about those cars was the service interval on the lifters or something. They recommended service on them every 30K miles (IIRC) but the pipe that ran across the valve cover had to be removed; it added some serious time onto the job. I was told (again IIRC, it’s been 20+ years since I heard this) that it was a $600 service ($1000 today) each time. I thought it exorbitant, especially having grown up on stone simple pushrod V8’s, but it was a rather complex motor.
I agree with Carmine, though. These really looked like a Toyota Corvette or Trans Am.
What do you mean, “you yanks”? I have lived here (US) for all of my 56 years, and I don’t appreciate some alien calling me a yank. Why don’t you just go yank on something.
Rightfully so !! Tell them “furrin” aliens to go yank themselves !!
On the other hand, the “New York Americans” just doesn’t sound right….
Way to tell him off, Kev. We have to watch those damned Canadians. They have done nothing but cause trouble up there since the Revolutionary war. Yessir, a big-assed bob-wire fence and some friggin’ missle silos ought to keep those guys in their place.
I never used to feel this way until they started sending their damned furrin Parisiennes down here to sell at our good old American Pontiac dealers. Where are all of those American Pontiac dealers now? Out of business, that’s where.
I think he was referring to these Yanks…
Pay no mind to the troll folks, nothing to see there. Next stop, the Hall of Broughams…
I’ll bet warranty service would be a bitch. “Waddya mean you can’t get the parts?”
Now, if only I can find that crazy old Chrysler dealer with the “new” 68 Newport sedan on the floor.
The 93 – 2000 Supras would be worth this price with low miles . But this generation of Supras were head gasket eaters that rusted out very fast , not to mention all the engine seals rotting out with age from sitting 23 years . Maybe it’s a Canadian difference in price , but if an American stealership sold this car for anywhere near that price it would be worth about half that at an auction 5 years later . And that includes the incredibly overpriced Barrett Jackson Auctions !
Nice Toyota, I wonder if they listed that high to not be bothered by folks trying to buy it? The local Ford dealer used to keep a 1924 Model T Ford in the show room that was in good shape but was not restored by no means. It had a price tag of $100,000 on it(which was well overpriced for what it was worth) but as the owner explained to me when I was buying my Focus(in 2005) that the car was out of his collection and that it was there to bring a reminder of Ford history to the dealership and that he got tired of everybody asking to buy it.
Now a couple of years ago the car was sold but through a charity to benefit a new children’s wing of the local hospital.
I like that gen Supra as it embodied a sense of speed and power and sportiness at Toyota. Which is of course lacking in the modern day Toyota and its great beige conspiracy. Granted the Supra engine was prone to headgasket issues due to the bolts being under torqued at the factory(I want to say that it was supposed to be 85 ft lb and it came out with 70 ft lb on the bolts. But after a new headgasket was put on and the correct torque applied, the engine was great
my aunt has a white 1992 Corolla LE less than 50k on the odometer white with a blue cloth interior. Two speaker am/fm cassette stereo and power locks and a Garfield solar shield… 40 grand and it is yours also interesting trades considered.
I give Toyota a lot of credit for staying the course with the Supra. When the Carina/Celica platform that the first two generations were based on went to FWD, the Supra might very easily have become something a lot less interesting. Toyota spent a bunch of money on this platform and with both this car and its successor, they tried very hard to make it a serious high-performance GT. I don’t know that they quite succeeded, but it was not for lack of effort.
The variation of this generation that is most intriguing is the 2.5 GT Twin-Turbo, which arrived in Japan about a year after this car. Instead of the 7M engine, it had the 1JZ-GTE — basically a short-stroke version of the 3-liter 2JZ used in the subsequent Supra and various six-cylinder Lexus models — with two turbochargers, giving a wink-wink-nudge-nudge 276 hp JIS rating and 267 lb-ft of torque. (I don’t know how common that version was even in Japan; a lot of Japanese Supras of this generation had 2-liter sixes.)
I definitely liked the second and third gen Supra back in the day. And I still do. But in 1990, I liked the twin-turbo Nissan 300ZX a little better. This seems to be priced for the serious collector, like a Jay Leno, or to put in a museum.
Nice car, but not 70K nice. I agree that the owner probably got sick of bozos saying “would you take $4500 for that” and put a crazy price on it, to shut them up.
I tried to find one of these in 1990 but anything in my price range was a few years old usually an 86 or 87 and going for low twenties (Canada) would up with a celica turbo, not as pretty but much more useful on the snow and better fuel efficiency.
The car of my dreams back in high school. I own an 88 model Supra now to cruise around in. The engines in that generation Supra, are notorious for blowing head gaskets and rod knock. Bad torque specs on the headbolts to blame but Toyota never acknowledged it to my knowledge. For that price I’d make the dealer replace that headgasket, all the hoses and belts including timing and warranty it for bumper to bumper for at least a year to replace bearings as they go out. Nothing worse for a car than to just sit.
It’s the nicest looking car there, too.
FAKE! for a car with less then 100 miles on it, the engine bay is dirty as hell, and look at the odometer…..the milage isn’t even all the way across. Which lets you know it has been tampered with. Run the VIN and I bet it pops up somewhere. If it is even the real vin plate. I have owned 7 of these cars……Cleanest one? Detail shop should have done better at hiding the grime near the passenger strut tower.
I drive an 89 Supra Turbo in red and have been saving and spending over since I got it four years ago to get it to the level of this car.
One thing that surprises me is that the car does not have the TEMS (Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension) system. Being a turbo with targa and leather I would think it would have that option.
Cheers for this story and the dealer who is keeping a proper Toyota on display!
Just curious: How did you find this article?
A friend at work who had seen my car sent this to me. Not long afterward a Facebook friend sent me a link to the “new” Jalopnik article.
So the articles found me 🙂
An interesting story, I must say, especially since my 1990 Supra Turbo, similarly equipped, is undergoing a makeover which includes rebuilding the engine, getting a new harness, replacing all the hoses as well as the radiator, not to mention a new clutch, starter, headlights…well, you get the idea.
Anyway, it will probably cost about $7000 by the time everything is done. It won’t look as good as the model shown above, but it should run decently at least for another fifteen years if maintained properly.
That said, obviously the dealer has little intention of selling it (unless he finds an idiot somewhere who has, as somebody posted above, more money than brains). This car isn’t worth even half that, in my opinion, but at least the paint is flawless. And in the meantime, it’s a talking point that draws attention to the dealership.
Now, if it were more of a burgundy or deep red instead of the arrest-me color pictured here, then I might be interested. :–)
Why would u pay for a supra that’s that much ? Maybe someone wants one for stock never drive it ??? I can find supras with 1 owner all day but what’s the point of having aa this car and keeping it stock???? But not my taste everyone is different. Guess good luck with selling it but this is why its taking forever for us to get the skyline the price and demand of things and this is one of the issues .and as I’m looking at the pics its left hand drive !?! Fuck that !!!!! Thisbaint even considered a classic yet