Background
PLEASE NOTE THAT AN AUCTION PREMIUM WILL BE CHARGED, ON TOP OF THE HAMMER PRICE, OF 5% (+VAT IN UK AND EUROPE). FROM 16TH JAN'23 THIS APPLIES TO ALL AUCTIONS ON THE MARKET, AND FEES ARE MIN €720 / MAX €7,200.
This motor car has been imported under temporary admission customs bond. In addition to the ‘hammer’ price, the winning bidder must pay the buyers premium as well as import tax and duty. As this car is a RHD, in the UK there is VAT on the ‘hammer’ price, plus 10% duty + VAT. So, for example, if the car sells for €40,000 there will be €2,000 premium + €400 VAT, plus €8,000 VAT on the ‘hammer’, plus £4,000 duty + £800 VAT. If not destined for the UK, please check with your local authority what applicable VAT and Duty charges this car will incur.
‘What’s this then?’ I hear you think (I’m clever like that). ‘A car built in 2020 for sale with The Market? Aren’t they specialists in classic machinery?’ We are indeed, but this is a car that was built classic, such is its rarity and specification. You simply don’t bump into a Tom’s tuned Supra every day of the week. In fact most people will probably never see one in the flesh. But before we get into this particular car, let’s remind ourselves of the Supra’s history.
The model name goes back to 1974, when the company launched a longer, wider and more powerful spin-off of the second-generation Celica coupé. The model was designated the A40, and was replaced by the A60 in 1981, although at this stage it was still called the Celica Supra. It wasn’t until 1985 that the A70 Supra dropped the Celica moniker.
Straight six twin cam engines are a Supra hallmark, and it was with the A70 that another feature that defines the Supra appeared – a turbocharger. Topping the range was the gutsy 2954cc 7M-GTE turbocharged and intercooled twin-cam engine, delivering 230bhp in the most powerful Supra so far.
The same 7M-GTE unit was later uprated to 270bhp for the limited edition 3.0GT Turbo A. As well as being the fastest Japanese car of the time, this special edition homologated the Supra to compete in Japanese Group A racing, European Touring Car championships and Group A rallying, where it enjoyed a brief career within the WRC before the high-profile arrival of the four-wheel drive ST165 Celica GT-Four in 1988.
The Nk4 Supra won its class in the Swiss Mountain Races, competed at the iconic Le Mans 24 hour race two years running, charged up Pikes Peak, was competitive in American SCCA racing, and became a dominant force in the All-Japan GT Championships (JGTC) from 1995 all the way through to 2003.
But times change and Toyota axed its famous sports car in 2002, and it wasn’t until 2019 that the A90 Supra, which this one is based on, appeared in showrooms after a 17 year break in the model’s history.
This is the fifth generation of the Supra, and it was developed in collaboration with BMW, and shares a platform with the G29 BMW Z4. The new Supra (and BMW Z4) ride on a new jointly-developed sports car architecture by Toyota and BMW with an ultra-short wheelbase and an ultra-wide track. Both cars are also manufactured at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria.
