Someone paid $265,000 for a 1998 Toyota Supra seized by police
If you need further proof that the A80-generation Toyota Supra has skyrocketed in value, here it is: auction house Stanley J. Paine sold a 1998 turbo model that was seized from the collection of an alleged drug kingpin for $265,000 excluding any and all post-sale fees.
For context, Toyota charged $39,198 for the turbocharged Supra in 1998, which represents about $69,600 in 2022, and the current-generation model starts at $43,540. As pointed out by The Drive, several factors make this particular example desirable: its mileage is reasonably low, it doesn’t look like it has been significantly modified, it’s equipped with the six-speed manual transmission (rather than the four-speed automatic), and it’s finished in a rare color called Quicksilver. It’s also a final-year model, which some collectors find appealing.
It’s not the only six-figure Supra from the auction. A white 1993 Supra with the twin-turbo engine, six-speed manual transmission and just 8,200 miles sold for $237,500, again excluding fees and taxes. Why the newer, higher-mile model sold for considerably more is open to debate, but sentimental value may have played a role. According to Supra Forums user onionboysss, the 1998 example was purchased by someone who regrets selling one many years ago and was willing to pay whatever it took to get another. It’s allegedly off to California, and the new owner reportedly does not plan to drive it.
Paying supercar money for a Supra is surprising, but it’s also yet another sign that cars from the 1990s are now seriously sought-after as the generation that grew up with them gradually amasses disposable income. What’s perhaps more surprising here is that this Supra’s coolness wasn’t overshadowed by its relative sketchiness. Both of the above Supras were part of a 30-plus car collection seized in Massachusetts from an alleged drug trafficker who was found dead after posting bail and fleeing. Police took no fewer than 13 A80 Supra models, E46 BMW M3s, a pair of Nissan 350Zs, plus the diverse assortment of guns, drugs, and cash and you’d expect them to discover during a drug-related bust.
Toyota is surfing this wave, too: it started making reproduction parts for the A70- and A80-generation Supra models in 2019, and it has gradually expanded the catalog since. What does this mean for the future? Well, I don’t have a crystal ball so don’t start hoarding yet; I can’t promise you that folks will pay a quarter of a million dollars for your 2022 Supra in 2055. One factor in the A80 Supra’s appeal, one which the current model still lacks, is its importance in popular and car culture. It notably earned a starring role in the Fast & Furious franchise… which explains why one of the only Supra models that sold for more than the Quicksilver example is a movie car auctioned for $550,000 in 2021.
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