1997 Toyota Supra Turbo (A80) Review - The Legend - GT Sport | Reviews By Gil

The 2020 Toyota Supra (A90) was finally unveiled at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. It’s predecessor, the A80, remains one of the most coveted sports cars in history among enthusiasts. Let's look back at what made the A80 Supra so legendary.

1997 Toyota Supra Turbo (A80)

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Brief Overview

Gone is the legendary JZ series engine produced by Toyota, and in its place is a BMW sourced turbocharged inline 6. The Bavarian power plant is good for 335-hp that will help the A90 Supra sprint to 60 in 4.1. Do those figures sound familiar? Well, more than 20 years ago the iconic A80 Supra boasted similar levels of performance. As you can imagine, purists have shared mixed opinions...

Exterior

22 years later the A80 Supra still looks as fresh as it did coming off the showroom floor. This iconic shape will never cease to impress onlookers around the world. Long nose, short tail, and that glorious wing sum up the pristine image that is synonymous with the A80 Supra.

Interior

Last week, we featured the Nissan 300ZX and drooled over its minimalist interior design. The A80 Supra gives us more of the same with a much more driver-focused cockpit. The continuous line of the dashboard flows across your sight line, and then in between you and your passenger. It's a very smooth design and further makes the interior of the A80 a nice place to sit. All the gauges and switch gear are pointed toward the driver to give you ultimate control of the legendary machine you are piloting. The Recaro seats are covered in this city bus-like fabric and bring a little vibrancy to the cabin. Otherwise, it's business as usual. The greenhouse is large so it's rather easy to see out of, and there's enough space in the back seats for a few groceries if you care about that sort of thing.

1997 Toyota Supra Turbo (A80)

Power

The 2JZ is a nameplate that will forever be remembered. In Japan, the A80 Supra only produced 276-hp due to the gentlemen's agreement among the Japanese automakers at the time. Oddly enough, us Americans got the more powerful version. From the factory in [insert year], the A80 Supra was good for 320-hp and 315-lb.-ft of torque in the United States. That's a fair amount of power even for today's standards. It's perfectly capable in the lower rev range, but the real fun starts around 4000 RPM. You can hear the turbo start to spool and then the surge gradually begins. It would pull all the way up to an electronically limited top speed of 155-mph.

So, the A80 Supra was a perfectly capable sports coupe from the factory. However, what happens when you breathe a few mods into the engine bay? As you know, it's relatively easy to boost 2JZ engines well past the 800-hp mark. A cast iron block and aluminum cylinder head provide a strong foundation for supporting mods if you're chasing more power. The power level from the factory is more than enough to enjoy on the open road. This may be old school thinking, but I quite enjoy being able to use all the available power whenever I want to. 320-hp is quite sufficient for this cause.

How does it drive?

We all know that the A80 Toyota Supra isn't lacking for power. Straight line speed is arguably what the Supra is most synonymous with across the internet. However, a quarter mile weapon with a few mods would not be my first choice of activities with the A80 Supra. This must be one of the most remarkable cars to drive on track of this era. Whether you're trying to break lap records or attempting a Formula Drift maneuver, the A80 Supra will comply in every situation. We put a set of sticky tires on this example and the Supra stuck to the surface like a bug on a windshield. Honestly, it reminds me of slot cars the way it's able to carve its way through the pavement like an adventurer knifing their way through a jungle.

Value

Cars are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them, and this makes the market for the A80 Toyota Supra an extremely gray area. The cheapest examples of the A80 Supra Turbo can be found on Autotrader for around $40,000. The sky is the absolute limit from there. Recently, a low mile turbo example sold for $121,000. I know the Supra is a coveted piece of automotive history, but the prices are getting a bit silly. $121,000 is a lot of buying power, and I'm not sure if I would pass up Ferrari F430s, Bentley Continental GTs, and Porsche Turbo S' for that kind of money...

Should You Buy One?

I'm not so sure. With the arrival of the 2020 Toyota Supra (A90), prices are sure to skyrocket to even more ridiculous figures in the coming months. The naturally aspirated A80 2JZ Supra can be found for as low as $30,000 on Autotrader. If I had $30,000 to spend on a classic sports car, I would probably save up the extra 10 grand and go for a relatively high mileage turbo so I could enjoy driving it without worrying about resale value. That is, unless, you're able to find an A80 in the $20,000 range. If you are, I would jump on that deal rather quickly.

1997 Toyota Supra Turbo (A80)

Conclusion

The A80 Supra will be remembered by many different enthusiasts for many different reasons. It's a fabulous long distance cruiser; it's fantastic on the track, and has a timeless design that can even be appreciated in 2019. Will the 2020 Supra live up to its predecessor? We can't wait to find out.

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Check out our review of the 1989 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo!

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