Worth its weight in gold - RHD MK4 Toyota Supra

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’re likely aware that used car prices have spiked enormously. The last 2-3 years have been quite the rollercoaster ride for us car enthusiasts. It’s been somewhat of a perfect storm situation. The Covid-19 pandemic created huge supply chain issues, causing there to be a shortage of new vehicles available to purchase. Which in turn, has caused the price of used cars to follow suit & skyrocket as well. Everything has soared to record high prices. On top of that, the government has been pushing their EV agenda. Causing folks to ‘EV prep’ & scoop up their favorite cars & trucks from yesteryear while they still can. Which leads-in to Ray Abeleda’s RHD MK4 Toyota Supra.

One of the many unfortunate bi-products of this mess…

Is that some cars that were somewhat in the realm of “affordable” 5-10 years ago… have basically become unobtanium at this point. If you hesitated & didn’t pull the trigger then, you’re likely wishing that you had now.

One such car is the MK4 Supra…

Hyper-popularized by the 2001 cult-classic movie, The Fast & the Furious, the MK4 Supra has always resonated at a higher-than-normal frequency among enthusiasts of Japanese tuner cars. It was Toyota’s flagship sports car back in the day, boasting the almighty, heavily-tunable 2JZ-GTE power plant. Pair that with sleek timeless bodylines… and history has proven the MK4 to be an icon of the era. Although the latest MK5 GR iteration of the Supra has made quite the splash amongst tuners, it will have to have to earn the legacy of its predecessor.

Ray Abeleda is the owner of this RHD MK4 Toyota Supra…

And he is no stranger to building cars. Ray’s been around the Japanese tuner car scene since the late 90’s. And over the last 25 years or so, he’s owned 40+ cars… including an R32 GT-R. He ultimately sold the GT-R to help fund the purchase of this 1993 RHD Supra RZ. Ray got lucky – and just happened to be fortunate enough to complete his transaction before the used car market went completely off the rails.

Upon Ray’s initial purchase…

This Supra looked nothing like it does now. From a visual perspective, the MK4 Supra has been completely transformed inside & out. The first thing that probably jumps out – is the color. For any of you that grew up reading import magazines in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, seeing gold on a Supra is synonymous with the legendary tuning company Top Secret.

Through their 200+ mph highway runs with madman Smoky Nagata, Top Secret was known for producing insane Supras that were etched into tuner car history. Ray decided to pay homage to the tuning company that inspired him, and wrapped the car in Oracal Gold Metallic vinyl. Simultaneously, Ray put his own twist on it by adding some aero components from the likes of Ridox, AbFlug, Bomex, TwinZ Designs, Autoextrude & APR (just to name a few). I’m convinced that if Ray put a Top Secret banner on the windshield, he could easily tell people this Supra is a retired Top Secret TAS demo car & no one would question it.

90s Japanese sports cars did not hold back on interiors…

And the interior of MK4 Supras are very reminiscent of a fighter jet cockpit. They feature a wrap-around, driver-centric dash that really makes you feel one with the car. Ray further enhanced the experience with a set of Recaro Tomcats that tie in beautifully with the exterior of the car. Also present – is a Personal Grinta steering wheel, complete with DressUpBolts hardware.

There’s also a Top Secret shift knob, Stu Hagent LED TRD gauges, BDTrims carbon fiber dash, and custom yellow stitching throughout. Engine vitals are kept in check via a BTI digital dash, along with a plethora of AEM gauges. I’d imagine that Ray feels a little bit like Maverick from Top Gun every time he gets behind the wheel of this Supra. The whole interior has a very Need for Speed Underground feel to it. There’s even a full audio system comprised of various Alpine components. I like to imagine Ray bumps 90’s hip-hop with his arm hanging out the window. At least that’s what I’d do.

But let’s talk about what lies beneath that Seibon vented hood…

Ray spared no expense making this 2JZ an absolute monster. The mod-list is a mile long. But to cover a few of the basics, this Supra features a Precision 6766 turbo, along with BC valves springs & titanium retainers. It’s also got HKS 264 cams, and an HKS turbo manifold & wastegate.

Fueling duties are handled by dual Walbro 450 fuel pumps. They are paired with ID 1300cc injectors and a Radium fuel rail, FPR, & fuel hanger.

Keeping everything cool is a Koyo radiator & ETS 4” intercooler. There’s also a 4” carbon fiber intake, AAC 4” downpipe/midpipe, and an ETS 4” exhaust.

Tuning is handled by a Link ECU. And this Supra was tuned by Freed Engineering of Millersville MD – to the tune of 708whp & 564wtq. It’s all put down to the ground through a JDM V160 transmission featuring a Southbend stage-3 clutch.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” –Uncle Ben.

So keeping all of those 708 horses in check are a set of Tein coilovers, beefier Lexus LS400 brake calipers, and a set of K-Break Hybreed Fivesta wheels wrapped in super-sticky Toyo R888Rs.

So is Ray going to cash-out his winning lottery ticket & sell his RHD MK4 Supra?

Probably not. With MK4 Supra prices aging like a fine wine, he can sit back & watch the used car market madness unfold. All while knowing he’s got a pristine, iconic Japanese sports car worth its weight in gold (pun intended I guess). So go out there already, and buy your favorite iconic car of yesteryear before it’s too late… and you’re stuck driving someone’s hand-me-down Tesla appliance-mobile with batteries on the fritz.