UK 1993 Toyota Supra TT6 - love (eventually) conquers all
Discussion
So being a teenager of the 1990s, I was at the prime hormonal time to enjoy the Japanese car revolution during that decade. As well as the NSX, the car I lusted after was the Mk4 Supra. This love was cemented when in 1993 Toyota UK sent me a poster that took pride of place on my wall and showed the blurred image of a silver car. Watching the Top Gear episode with Tiff Neddell of the then new Supra in 1993 further cemented my love of the car (less so for Tiff).
Fast forward 20 years and it was time to find one of these magnificent machines and see if I would be disappointed like meeting a old flame from secondary school. Not wanting to make this an easy search, I had to have the rarest of the rare which was an official UK car that was stock. Eventually I found a great car in Astral Black with full Toyota Service history. The only issue was that it had no clutch pedal (not missing - just automatic for the avoidance of doubt). However, it was too good a car to pass on so the love affair began in 2016. Needless to say it was not disappointing to meet my hero and I admired its grace, poise and all round coolness as well as it teaching me that a hammer is not a spanner and taking things apart is a darn site easier than putting them back together.
However, one itch remained which was the holy grail of a manual car. I never really thought about it (much) but I was lucky enough to go to a Toyota UK event for the Mk5 Supra in 2018 where Mk4 owners were invited to bring down their cars. Needless to say it was like a McDonalds car park on steroids but there were knowledgeable folk from Toyota Japan there. My Auto was a particularly fine example even I do say so myself but such was the horror when Japanese men would marvel at its condition and originality but run away countering "Manual - never Auto" at the sight of PRND on the transmission tunnel.
Sept 2018 was a rather uneventful month and, whilst sunning myself on a European break, I heard a rumour that a low mileage nearly 1 owner UK Manual unmolested was about to come onto the market. Trying to ignore the raging curiosity that was circulating around my head, I decided to make some enquiries and send my wife shopping for the day so I could make a rash decision based on emotion and alcohol. Needless to say a deal was done and the car bought unseen but with videos and photos enough for me to judge it was original and looked complete apart from the ridiculous stereo from 2002. It had been stored for 10 years and needed an MOT but started and drove.
2 weeks later the car arrived and I tried to put a brave face on my decision. This once magnificent machine had been neglected and lets say I would disagree with the seller's definition of mint apart from there were polo mint type holes in certain areas due to that foe of cars (especially Japanese) - rust.
I had my local Toyota dealer assess it and amazingly it passed its MOT but also had around £13k worth of parts that were advised mainly suspension, brakes, clutch etc and that's before addressing the body work and interior that had some battle scars.
Needless to say my enthusiasm was tempered and I decided to put the car almost immediately up for sale now with a 12 month MOT and listing all it's faults for less than I paid for it. I think the fifth phone call from my 'bruv' offering me a once in a lifetime some of money made me think I was going to just have to sit and watch the earth claim her back as the rust might have taken hold. Everyday she would stare at me on the drive, longing for some TLC to be a poster car again.
Just when I thought my emotional bond would never form, my very understanding wife managed to obtain that poster that I had gone on about in my defence of the decision to purchase the car in the first place - I believe in legal circles it is know as the 'Tw%t's defence’ - unbeknown to me she had asked my dad to find the poster as they were visiting that weekend. I am not normally one who smiles at the site of my parents arriving but this was different. There it was in all its glory and all that emotion came flooding back. This was the moment I had dreamt of all those years ago and that car needed me as if I was not going to do it for her then no one would and she would likely be lost forever.
So here we are today. It's been a hell of a journey into the classic car restoration world and as much as a car I know love, it has cemented my admiration for the time and dedication people have to help restore cars. All the mechanical parts were sourced from Japan (OEM of course) for around a third of the price in the UK, the rust has been cured and a full window out respray completed. The interior has been overhauled, new active aero spoiler fitted as original mechanism was damaged and this is now a car deserving of part of my soul. The work is too extensive to list but I hope you enjoy the pictures that are in some form of chronological order. I have learnt plenty of lessons along the way most notably:
1. That poster may have been free in 1993 but fair play Toyota as you have got your money back and then some
2. Alcohol produces car beer goggles
3. When you phone a friend for sensible advice you are only going to hear "do it", followed by "what the fu%k have you bought?" after it arrives.
4. Ignore what knowledgeable Japanese men say about your car as it can cost a lot of money - they were probably saying "Manual never - Auto"!
Probably the most ridiculous stock item to try and source and replace was the original Toyota radio amplifier. This was needed so I could get the original radio working again. It couldn't be any period Toyota amplifier as a Celica one won't work as I found out to great frustration. I don't think anyone has ever put so much effort into recreating car acoustics from 1993.
And if all the above was not enough, the emotional circle was completed with an appearance on Top Gear this year. I was a very proud Supra 'daddy' watching filming and seeing Paddy McGuiness drive away in her for the first time brought a tear to my eye - that could also have been the tyre smoke and smell of the burning clutch but we will go with the emotion.
I hope you enjoy the pics.
https://youtu.be/NnfxRL8j9s8
https://youtu.be/-r0u-ybAIGQ
Fast forward 20 years and it was time to find one of these magnificent machines and see if I would be disappointed like meeting a old flame from secondary school. Not wanting to make this an easy search, I had to have the rarest of the rare which was an official UK car that was stock. Eventually I found a great car in Astral Black with full Toyota Service history. The only issue was that it had no clutch pedal (not missing - just automatic for the avoidance of doubt). However, it was too good a car to pass on so the love affair began in 2016. Needless to say it was not disappointing to meet my hero and I admired its grace, poise and all round coolness as well as it teaching me that a hammer is not a spanner and taking things apart is a darn site easier than putting them back together.
However, one itch remained which was the holy grail of a manual car. I never really thought about it (much) but I was lucky enough to go to a Toyota UK event for the Mk5 Supra in 2018 where Mk4 owners were invited to bring down their cars. Needless to say it was like a McDonalds car park on steroids but there were knowledgeable folk from Toyota Japan there. My Auto was a particularly fine example even I do say so myself but such was the horror when Japanese men would marvel at its condition and originality but run away countering "Manual - never Auto" at the sight of PRND on the transmission tunnel.
Sept 2018 was a rather uneventful month and, whilst sunning myself on a European break, I heard a rumour that a low mileage nearly 1 owner UK Manual unmolested was about to come onto the market. Trying to ignore the raging curiosity that was circulating around my head, I decided to make some enquiries and send my wife shopping for the day so I could make a rash decision based on emotion and alcohol. Needless to say a deal was done and the car bought unseen but with videos and photos enough for me to judge it was original and looked complete apart from the ridiculous stereo from 2002. It had been stored for 10 years and needed an MOT but started and drove.
2 weeks later the car arrived and I tried to put a brave face on my decision. This once magnificent machine had been neglected and lets say I would disagree with the seller's definition of mint apart from there were polo mint type holes in certain areas due to that foe of cars (especially Japanese) - rust.
I had my local Toyota dealer assess it and amazingly it passed its MOT but also had around £13k worth of parts that were advised mainly suspension, brakes, clutch etc and that's before addressing the body work and interior that had some battle scars.
Needless to say my enthusiasm was tempered and I decided to put the car almost immediately up for sale now with a 12 month MOT and listing all it's faults for less than I paid for it. I think the fifth phone call from my 'bruv' offering me a once in a lifetime some of money made me think I was going to just have to sit and watch the earth claim her back as the rust might have taken hold. Everyday she would stare at me on the drive, longing for some TLC to be a poster car again.
Just when I thought my emotional bond would never form, my very understanding wife managed to obtain that poster that I had gone on about in my defence of the decision to purchase the car in the first place - I believe in legal circles it is know as the 'Tw%t's defence’ - unbeknown to me she had asked my dad to find the poster as they were visiting that weekend. I am not normally one who smiles at the site of my parents arriving but this was different. There it was in all its glory and all that emotion came flooding back. This was the moment I had dreamt of all those years ago and that car needed me as if I was not going to do it for her then no one would and she would likely be lost forever.
So here we are today. It's been a hell of a journey into the classic car restoration world and as much as a car I know love, it has cemented my admiration for the time and dedication people have to help restore cars. All the mechanical parts were sourced from Japan (OEM of course) for around a third of the price in the UK, the rust has been cured and a full window out respray completed. The interior has been overhauled, new active aero spoiler fitted as original mechanism was damaged and this is now a car deserving of part of my soul. The work is too extensive to list but I hope you enjoy the pictures that are in some form of chronological order. I have learnt plenty of lessons along the way most notably:
1. That poster may have been free in 1993 but fair play Toyota as you have got your money back and then some
2. Alcohol produces car beer goggles
3. When you phone a friend for sensible advice you are only going to hear "do it", followed by "what the fu%k have you bought?" after it arrives.
4. Ignore what knowledgeable Japanese men say about your car as it can cost a lot of money - they were probably saying "Manual never - Auto"!
Probably the most ridiculous stock item to try and source and replace was the original Toyota radio amplifier. This was needed so I could get the original radio working again. It couldn't be any period Toyota amplifier as a Celica one won't work as I found out to great frustration. I don't think anyone has ever put so much effort into recreating car acoustics from 1993.
And if all the above was not enough, the emotional circle was completed with an appearance on Top Gear this year. I was a very proud Supra 'daddy' watching filming and seeing Paddy McGuiness drive away in her for the first time brought a tear to my eye - that could also have been the tyre smoke and smell of the burning clutch but we will go with the emotion.
I hope you enjoy the pics.
https://youtu.be/NnfxRL8j9s8
https://youtu.be/-r0u-ybAIGQ
Edited by ravster on Tuesday 24th December 08:04
That is simply stunning OP. 
A few decades ago a mate of mine used to organise track days for a few of us through Club 89 and they would have a few Touring Car drivers to drive us round, or give instruction.
One of the memories that sticks in my mind is of a few passenger laps in a new MK4 Supra Turbo around a damp Brands Hatch, and I've wanted one ever since!
But circumstances, or more realistically budget, never worked quite right at the same time sadly.
Still congrats on buying your poster car!
A few decades ago a mate of mine used to organise track days for a few of us through Club 89 and they would have a few Touring Car drivers to drive us round, or give instruction.
One of the memories that sticks in my mind is of a few passenger laps in a new MK4 Supra Turbo around a damp Brands Hatch, and I've wanted one ever since!
But circumstances, or more realistically budget, never worked quite right at the same time sadly.
Still congrats on buying your poster car!
Chicken_Satay said:
What was it about the interior that made you want to change from the grey leather seats to the cream leather seats?
They were always cream, that picture makes them look a bit pale due to the lighting. Better pic now in thread Edited by ravster on Tuesday 24th December 08:05
Dr G said:
I'm glad the car found you and not one of your "bruvs"; if you have a peek at what some of the clean, standard cars on bringatrailer have made lately (you probably already know!) then your decision to restore to standard will feel even more like the right one.
Thank you, I did quickly realise it was all or nothing with this car and there was no half way restoration. This was definitely not a financially astute decision but I couldn't see her left to rot. You are right about the 'bringatrailer' prices. Interestingly, when I did to sell her I contacted them seeing that RHD cars over 25 years old could be easier imported into the USA but they have such a good supply of good LHD cars that there were not interested which worked out well in the end. There is a lot talked about the values of these cars and all 'modern classics' in general. Having now sold my auto I have a decent understanding of the Supra market and the valuations people like to think their cars are worth are very inflated. There are very few proper buyers in the UK for these cars in my experience and they will never make the money that fast Fords etc make. I guess simple economics always dictates that anything is only worth what one person is willing to pay for it and another is willing to sell it for. Amazing car and work gone into that OP, I remember turning mine in Gran Turismo to the "race modification" version. How hard was it trawling Japan for OEM parts? It's taken me quite some time to source some bits for my Crown which is only an 06, imagine it must've been tougher for that - my 93 Skyline certainly was.
TommoAE86 said:
Amazing car and work gone into that OP, I remember turning mine in Gran Turismo to the "race modification" version. How hard was it trawling Japan for OEM parts? It's taken me quite some time to source some bits for my Crown which is only an 06, imagine it must've been tougher for that - my 93 Skyline certainly was.
Thank you. I’ve used Megazip to supply parts for years and can highly recommend them. Their parts catalog is extensive and market specific. The biggest challenge was UK Supras had many bespoke part numbers so tracking them down as new items wasn’t easy. However, as you are probably aware, the Mk4 was made from 1993-2002 so Toyota made many identical parts to the UK spec with updated part numbers. I strongly resisted getting non OEM shocks that were the hardest to find and managed to find them in USA. The parts supply in America is very good and lots of helpful people out there. I had to get a new active aero spoiler as the one in the car had at some point had the blade ripped off which wasn’t uncommon. These mainly came on Euro spec cars but eventually managed to track one down and even fit it which was a bonus. I never tired of getting boxes from Japan and unwrapping them with forensic precision!
Some pictures of a small proportion of the parts and more rust! Amazing how it creeps under window seals etc. Certainly opened my eyes that to look after these cars properly takes a complete strip down after 20 years or so.
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