Toyota Supra Fanatics

There arent too many secrets left in the world of performance cars. By and large we know where the bargains can be found, what the best money-no-object dream cars are and where youd turn if you wanted something that could lap the Nurburgring in under eight and a half minutes. Thats the obsessive nature of the enthusiast. There is, however, one car that has slipped under their collective radar.

Its the Toyota Supra Mk IV, manufactured from 1993-1996. Available in plentiful numbers on the used market, heres the performance bargain to end all others.

The UK-spec Supra is the brainchild of Toyotas Isao Tsuzuki, the man behind the first two generations of Toyota MR2. He didnt do a bad job. The cabin feels snug for two with a high window line and a dashboard that arcs round to point most of the instruments at the driver. The driving position is very good with a spacious footwell and supportive seats.

The low steering column and awkwardly placed handbrake are the only minor annoyances. In the UK there was only ever one model released, namely the twin turbo. This had a very high specification with leather interior, cruise control and active spoiler. The UK version also had a large air intake in the middle of the bonnet and headlamp washers which make it stand out from the import versions.

Of course, a car that debuted in 1993 isnt going to be the cutting edge as far as cabin styling is concerned and the interior does major on black plastic. Space in the rear is best described as token, although there is a large albeit shallow luggage bay.

This can get complicated. Well initially limit ourselves to official UK cars rather than the flood of cars that has subsequently arrived from Japan. These were all 326bhp fixed head 2+2s, offered in standard trim with a manual gearbox but more frequently found with an automatic. Prices for a typical 94L manual car start at around £3,500 with an auto commanding a bout £300 extra.

The last of the 1996N-registered cars fetch around £6,000 in manual form and a similar amount for a well looked after automatic. Thing is, only a small proportion of the Supras youll see will be UK cars. Anything later than 1996 will have come in the grey import route and quite a few before 96 to boot. Here you open up a real Pandoras box.

Specifications such as RZ, RZ-S, GZ, SZ, and SZ-R all combine to confuse the casual observer. There are fixed head and aerotop targa models as well as cars with just two seats. Basically, SZ models are non-turbocharged 225bhp cars, the SZ-R being a higher specification whilst RZ (standard) and GZ (luxury spec) models are both turbocharged to 280bhp, the RZ-S variant being a stripped out basic version. Twin turbo aerotop models ceased production in May 1995 and normally aspirated SZ-R aerotops ended their production run in August 1998.

The last Supras rolled off the production line in July 2002.

Those Japanese mechanicals are well proven and reliable. Check the service history with turbo cars, however, as a neglected synthetic oil change is not exactly ideal for a car with such a powerful engine. Maintenance will have needed to be regular and done by someone who understands these relatively complicated cars. Blown head gaskets are an early Supra bugbear and can cost around £1,500 to remedy.

Symptoms of this include a gradual loss of coolant, a leaking overflow bottle after hard driving, occasional gurgles from beneath the dash and temperatures rising sharply when accelerating hard or driving uphill. Turbochargers tend to be fairly bulletproof but if the Supra is puffing white clouds from the exhaust, walk away. Tyres need a good deal of tread left, as the Supra can be hungry for rubber and make sure that if the engine has been modified in any way that its been done by reputable sources and that you inform your insurance company. Make sure you fit an alarm/immobiliser too as these cars are attractive targets for joyriders.

The headlamp lenses of import cars are plastic as opposed to glass on UK models and often goes dull which requires a refurbishment. You may also need to underseal the car, as Japanese rustproofing is virtually non-existent. As for the interiors, leather upholstery may be worn if it hasn't been cleaned often so check the stitching. The wealth of convenient, electric features should all be in working order. Sunroof, mirrors, central locking, air conditioning, windows and seats should all be checked to save you expensive and fiddly fixes later.

(Based on a 1994 Supra twin turbo and exclusive of VAT - approx) Replacement parts for the Supra are widely available from a number of sources and Toyota has taken an admirable policy in servicing grey import cars, proclaiming the Supra to be a global product. Spares are agreeably cheap although your best chance of snagging some discounts is to trawl around websites such as http://www.mkivsupra.net or http://www.supras.co.uk/

It still shocks many the first time the full 326bhp is unleashed. They equate the Supra with being another butch looking coupe, but its the equal of cars like the Porsche 911 Carrera, the Lotus Esprit Turbo or the BMW M3. In other words extremely fast, and as the Supra is bigger than all of these cars the speed just feels even more unlikely. Handling is up to the power and performance, the Supra feeling supremely confidence inspiring.

There is no stability control function available, however, and on wet roads an inexperienced driver and the Supra may make unhappy bedfellows. The handling and road-holding has a large safety bias built in but be sure you know what you're doing before you throw one of these big, heavy and powerful cars about. UK spec cars will hit 60mph in 5.8 seconds and run on to a limited 155mph. Remove the limiter and you have a genuine 170mph vehicle, straight out of the crate.

Count yourself very fortunate if you return 23mpg.

The Toyota Supra Mk IV is well worth persevering with. Yes, you will see more than a few over modified and under maintained dogs in your search for the right car but when you track down an honest example, youre buying a car that had the measure of a 911 back in 93. Times may have changed since then, but the Supra is still one evil customer.