Mk4 Toyota Supra

Japan has produced some of the most iconic, influential and technologically important cars ever built. From generations of Nissan GT-R right down to the humble but absolutely intoxicating Honda Civic Type R, they are the masters of over-engineering, extreme attention to detail and sovereigns of reliability. The Japanese really know how to build a car.

In modified car circles, Japanese cars are the top dogs. Whether its for drifting, drag racing or even a low and slow show car built for aesthetics, there is such a vast assortment of goods from Japan to choose from that it sometimes gets difficult to know what you’re even looking at when at a show.

I think there is a hierarchy though, and the unquestionable king of Japanese performance cars is the Mk4 Toyota Supra. Famous for its role in the Fast and Furious movie franchise, as well as the extraordinary engine that lies beneath the bonnet, the Supra is a car that transcended the modified car world into the Hollywood mainstream and is largely responsible for millions of car enthusiasts around the world.

Ask a group of car people what they think the most important, popular and just downright celebrated car engine ever made is and there’s a good chance that they’d tell you it was the 2JZ straight six from Toyota. Because of how well engineered this motor is, it can take ridiculous amounts of boost from a turbo and make massive power figures with ease, so it became very popular with drag racers, street racers and on the underground scene. I mean, it’s the engine that infamously powered Smokey Nagata’s modified Supra to almost 200mph on the A1 in England in 1998.

Whether you like the car or not, you can’t deny the influence it has had. Park one up anywhere and you’ll have people ogling over it. It’s not a supercar, nor is it worth millions, but it is the figurehead of a culture and a scene that is known by so many and a reminder of what Japanese engineers are capable of when they set about doing something. I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan, I don’t much like the way it looks and it’s not even close to my top ten dream drives list, but I do stop and take it in every time I see one.