It’s not news that vintage Supras are beloved cars; nor that said love has recently driven their prices beyond the used car territory that allowed second and third owners of more modest means to fall in love with them, too. Getting to enjoy the ownership experience for any car of a certain age means knowing its foibles, and we caught up with the 1991 Supra Turbo seen here as it enjoys a slowed-down retirement for a few years before owner and Hemmings Garage director BryanVan Zandt (see sidebar) uses the remarkably complete and undamaged coupe as the basis for a full restoration. Despite heavy overall wear outside, Bryan’s car preserves well how the factory did it (for the U.S. market, anyway) and what to look for when evaluating a Supra of its age.
WHY BUY?
Value is far from the only, or best, reason to own a car. One perk of rising values, however, can be an increased supply of parts and know-how to support suddenly investment-grade automobile. The third-generation Supras are still catching up in the parts-supplier department, but it’s easy to see the objective value they offer for those now paying elevated prices. It is easy to see if you can get the seat time, that is.
“Sitting down” to interview Bryan about the strong and weak points of the Supra actually wrapped up with him insisting that I drive the 86,000-mile original myself. Despite our being the same age, more or less, my tastes have always run toward pre-1970s cars, so taking the wheel of the Supra was a novel prospect. I was not disappointed.
Bryan is quick to point out some of the issues with the car. He also has a much nicer black Supra with a Toyota UZ-series V-8 installed—very hot stuff, but not a goodand I wouldn’t have known anything could be better with the suspension. Handling through the twistiest roads I could find revealed a car that would have you unknowingly doing 60-plus mph through curves marked “35.” With such a confidence-inspiring suspension, it’s easy to see how some amateurs notoriously have gotten in way over their heads very quickly.
