What are the various Supra models available and which one do I want? (Part II)

[Aerotop Dave]

Before we leave this subject though there's a few additional areas to go over...

 

(warning - boring bit coming up)

 

The exact date when facelifted cars appeared is quite tricky to tell - what could be called the 'definitive' facelift models started in Sept 1997 with the introduction of the VVTi engine. At this point all other facelift variables (five dials, grey dashboard, grey rear lights, electric fold in wing mirrors, etc, etc) were present. There is a changeover period that seems to run from May 1997 where cars were produced with some of the facelift variables in place (such as those already listed) but the mechanical side of things (VVTi, etc) definitely weren't yet being applied. However, there are some late 1996 registered cars that appear to have some of the facelifted items present, and not just those which would be easy to change - while many pre-facelift owners retro-fit the grey rear lights for example these late 1996 cars have the five dial dashboard, which is an unusual modification for anyone to perform so seem genuine 'semi-facelift' cars.

 

So there doesn't seem to be an exact date from when the facelifted cars were produced. Anything from September 1997 onwards should definitely have everything required of a 'true' facelift model, both cosmetically and mechanically. Cars made between May 1997 and August 1997 should be facelifted cosmetically but not mechanically. Anything pre-May 1997 should be a pre-facelifted car in theory... but you may find a very early facelift model too if you get a late 1996 or early 1997 car.

 

(boring bit over now)

 

Now something else you will have noticed there is this ‘Aerotop’ business. The Aerotop Supra is a bit of a Marmite version - you either love it or hate it. Some people think it’s the best looking Supra of all, other people think it looks ugly. Only you can decide. The Aerotop is so named as it has a lift out roof panel that opens up the entire cabin to the sky (there’s no T-Bar in the way, it’s completely open). With the panel in place the roof line is exactly the same - it looks like a normal Supra except for two lines going across the roof. To remove the roof you undo five bolts inside the cabin and then simply pop the panel into the holders in the boot to keep it secure. The whole process takes around 45 seconds to complete. With the roof out you will notice a degree of flexing (essentially the front of the car twists in relation to the back) but it’s not so bad as to make the car undriveable. Toyota did put some extra strengthening in the chassis to counter the flexing when the roof is off but it wasn’t exactly successful. With the roof in place the car is as stiff (oo er) as the hardtop Supra though.

 

Aerotops tend to command a higher price than their hardtop equivalent due to the desireability and rarity. The TT Aerotop is proving extremely difficult to find now in Japan. NA Aerotops are easier to find (but not exactly plentiful) and offer head turning looks and decent performance for relatively little money (you just need to decide if people are turning their heads to say ‘Wow’ or ‘Urgh'). You may notice from the attached Excel chart that there are no facelift TT Aerotops but a very short run of NA Facelift Aerotops (1997 to 1998). So while TT Aerotops are rare, facelifted NA Aerotops are probably the rarest of all Supras.

 

 

And finally before we leave the whole model designation subject we'd better have a quick detour into talking about 'Singles'. This involves ripping off the twin turbos and bunging one big fat turbo on there instead. Previously this involved spending huge amounts of money but ‘budget’ single kits are now available which bring the cost down into ‘hmmm, that’s quite reasonable’ territory. This still isn’t a job for the DIY-er though - the whole kit & kaboodle needs properly setting up and quite a few other bits need to be fitted as well to cope with the power increase. Ah yes, power increase, you see that’s what this is all about. How much can you expect? Well, with the standard car kicking out around 326bhp you can expect a single to instantly take you up to around 450-500bhp. So I think we could call that ‘really quite useful indeed’. Singles are still fairly rare in the UK but becoming more plentiful as the cost comes down, and a few are also being imported from Japan as well.

 

 

Whichever model you go for you've made a great choice. The Supra is a very fast, very capable, very comfortable car, and all this is coupled with the legendary Toyota reliability as well. The engine is absolutedly bullet proof, and the same can be said of the gearbox too, both the auto and manual versions. Generally the turbos are reliable and there are no major faults or known problems with the car. Many are past 100,000 miles now, a few are over twice that. There's also loads of 'how to' information around, as most of the common modifications have been carried out and refined over time.

 

Put simply - there's not much to fault with the Supra.

 

(continues...)