Seminole Tribe Motocross
Related Articles
In the early 2000s, the famous Fast and furious the franchise was born. No one could have imagined the cultural revolution that this would inspire.
While Japanese sports cars have performed well in their domestic market, the rest of the world has struggled to beat the uninspiring stock performance figures and less than spectacular chassis. Unbeknownst to the Western world of the potential they hold, JDM cars are truly a blank canvas and needed something to help the world conceptualize their capabilities. This is exactly what this bright orange Toyota Supra gave to the world, it was the finished work of art that changed the face of the auto industry.
ten Reference tuner
It’s certainly not to everyone’s liking, it’s loud, brash, and in many ways unconventional. Just as art should be.
It gave everyone a more precise perspective, just an individual’s perspective on what these cars might look like and how fast they could go (well, theoretically) in good hands.
9 Already edited before the film
Unlike the cinematic depiction of the car being rediscovered and restored / modified to perfection, or the usual Hollywood approach of ‘making it look pretty’, this hero car was already a show car.
It was actually already a winner, having won a few auto shows before being used in the film.
8 Increase value on its own
The unfortunate side effect for all involved was its increased value, the film was made after the Mk 4 Supra had already been pulled from the North American market. Ironically, this happened because it didn’t sell very well, and now everyone wanted one.
Those who did get one would then modify it to their subjective liking (above), making non-assaulted examples extremely rare. Prices have steadily increased to this day, now a good stock car will easily fetch six figures.
seven Troy Lee designs a nuclear gladiator
Perhaps the most distinctive part of the car is the graphics on the sides, which represent what has been dubbed a “Nuclear Gladiator” during the race.
This particular piece of art was written by Troy Lee Designs, a brand that has continued to grow stronger, especially in the motocross world.
6 Everything about the engine
As solid as the entire design was, it was very 90s and understated to say the least. What hasn’t been underestimated is its incredible 2JZ inline-6 twin-turbo engine.
In search of more power, most tuners ditch the two turbos in favor of a larger, more lag-prone single turbo. For this particular hero car, the upgrades were only cosmetic, just enough to make it a believable “10 second car”.
5 It has an automatic transmission
Where the orange superstar loses all of its “street-cred” is in the black 4-speed snowbox that sends power to the rear.
The movie depicts Walker shifting gears, but this was shot from inside (we suspect) one of the other stunt cars. The real car, rather unfortunately has a car, which, if it was a regular Mk 4, would have cut the value in half.
4 Had more than one on-screen appearance
It’s anything but an ordinary Mk 4 Supra, it’s a car with a story. Not one but two appearances in The fast and the furious franchise.
After finishing shooting the first movie, it sat in storage for a while before morphing into the Golden Supra driven by Slap Jack in 2 fast 2 furious. It was then auctioned off and restored to its original (not so original) condition from the first film, thankfully.
3 Bone stock under the hood
This is one of those ‘all show and no go’ Hollywood specials, even though it was a tuner from the start it was all about looks and less actual performance.
For a 2JZ, it’s actually quite rare, making it a more fun daily driver than a performance car (this is an automatic recall).
2 More than just a car
In the end, it’s more than any old JDM, it’s a car that pretty much inspired a generation of car enthusiasts.
It wasn’t like there hadn’t been a JDM car scene back then, it was just lurking in the shadows. These films put this automotive culture at the forefront of everyone’s minds, like it or not.
1 Cultural icon
It’s this orange Supra that represents the JDM automotive culture that has become so popular today, making it more than just a car, but more of an icon.
Not everyone likes the Supra. It’s a car with several flaws, but it has become the star child of this heavy new technological era in auto modification culture that has a kind of romantic relationship with auto enthusiasts.
Read more
About the Author
