Legends Of The Rising Sun - Shooting The Toyota Supra MK4

If you mention the words “Toyota Supra” to any petrolhead, you’ll most probably have their attention straight away. If you throw in the acronym “2JZ-GTE” straight after that, you’ll have a new friend for life. Why? Only because these words and numbers translate into one of the most iconic sports cars to ever come out of Japan…

The Supra brings up images of drifting around a Japanese mountain pass, or a supercar slayer for regular car prices. Also, who can forget the orange Supra that Brian Walker drove in the original The Fast And The Furious movie? I remember the first time I saw a Toyota Supra on local roads. It was around the year 2001. Myself and a friend were skating outside his house in Umbilo, and the neighbours garage opened. Out rolled a silver Toyota Supra, with an exhaust pipe that was the size of a cannon. Back then, we had no idea about the rarity of these cars in South Africa (since they were never sold here), and this one was probably the only one in KZN at that time. We took a photo on one of our very low res camera cellphones, and left it at that. I can still recall that the registration was BRIGHT-ZN.

Now many years later, I found out that a friend of a friend of a friend was driving around on Durban roads in a black Toyota Supra. This Supra in question had been shipped back to South Africa with the owner after he spent some time working in Japan. Immediately, I set about to contact the owner and to try arrange a photoshoot of his pride and joy. After what must have been a fairly awkward conversation for him, we had a time and place set. Imagine my surprise, when he pulls up to our meeting point outside of uShaka Marine World, and tells me that his friend will be arriving soon, in a silver Toyota Supra. I didn’t quite plan for there to be two cars.

For some readers who aren’t too clued up on the rarity of these cars, let me give you some extra info. I’ve already said that they were never sold in South Africa, and our local import laws are a maze of paperwork that most often ends at a dead end. This is more to protect the local car industry, because if importing was legal, the industry would crumble. Actually, not even crumble, collapse. Quite simply, these cars are next to impossible to source and register locally. You could go the route of registering your import in a neighboring country, but then the issues of insurance, running a car on foreign plates, and the fact that it has to be registered to another address spring up. So when one appears on the road, many people are often a bit suspicious of how the cars became registered. Not so with these ones. The owners have spent time living in Japan, and were therefore legally allowed by law to bring their cars back with them after a certain amount of time (provided they aren’t sold within 2 years).

But back to the photoshoot…

We had arranged to do the shoot around the Point Waterfront area, which had undergone a huge transformation in recent years. From an area littered in various shades of urban decay and renowned for prostitution and shady characters, the Durban municipality has undertaken a massive overhaul, and created a rather unique area nestled at the far end of Durban. The roads are quiet, the buildings are in a 21st century style, and the whole area has a urban-chic vibe about it. It’s a pity then, that the area is a bit too quiet. Much like Dubai, where massive new developments stand empty, the high rise apartments of the Point are giant monoliths – an eerie backdrop for the imposing lines of the Supra.

The rest of the afternoon was spent moving to various different locations, and chasing the potential of the perfect lighting backdrop. A big thanks to the two owners of the cars, for taking time out of their Saturday afternoon to lend their cars out for some camera time.

And now time for everyones favourite part: the mod list!

1994 Toyota Supra (gloss black)

Engine Specifications

OEM block and head
WhiftBitz Uprated Coil packs
TRD IK22 Spark Plugs
TRD Engine Mounts
Greddy Sandwich Plate
TRD Oil Filter
JUN Cam Pulleys

Turbocharger and Induction

Stock Twins
Apexi Power Intake
Greddy Spec LS FMIC
SRD Intercooler Plate

Fuel, Tuning and ECU

Greddy BCC
HKS SLD
Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump
HKS EVC VI Electronic Boost Controller with EVC Writer
HKS Knock Amp Gen II
AEM Water Methanol Injection Kit

Exhaust

Autobahn 88 1st Decat - 75mm
Blitz Midpipe - 80mm
RR - 50mm
Kakimoto 90mm Cat Back

Drivetrain

TRD Single Plate Clutch and Pressure Plate
TRD Gearbox Mount
Motul Gear 300 Oil
TRD 2 way Mechanical LSD - To be Installed

Brakes

UK Spec 4Pot Fronts and 2pot Rears
Dixcel Slotted FR & RR Rotors
Endless MX72 FR & RR Pads
Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Hoses
Castrol Dot 4 Racing Brake Fluid
Hurst Roll Control Line Lock

Suspension

OEM Bilstein Shocks
TEIN S Tech Lowering Springs

Wheels and Tyres

SSR Professor MS1 3 piece split wides and narrows
Specs 19x9 FR, 19x10 RR
Falken FK452 FR - 235/35/19 RR - 265/30/19

Bracing

Carbing Type 1 MCS Aluminium Front Tower Bar
Carbing Type R Aluminium Rear Tower bar

Interior

Momo Competition 35cm Steering Wheel
Defi BF Link Unit
Defi BF Boost Gauge
Defi BF Oil Pressure Gauge
Defi BF Oil Temp Gauge
3 Gauge Pod
TRD 320Km/h Speedometer
OEM Black Carpet
Custom Leather Seats FR and RR

ICE

Alpine 4inch Co-axial FR
Alpine 6.5inch Co-axial RR
Alpine CDE 123R head unit

Exterior

MVP Polyurethane Front Lip
OEM Facelift Headights with Toyota 6000K HID Low Beams
OEM Facelift indicators
OEM Clear side indicators
OEM Facelift Tail lights
Gas Bonnet dampers
LLumar Safety Window Tint
S2000 Stubby Aerial

1994 Toyota Supra (wrapped):

Brakes

Dixcel Slotted FR and RR Rotors
Endless MX72 FR and RR Pads

Suspension

OEM Bilstein Shocks
TEIN S Tech Lowering Springs

DISCLAIMER: All photos and writing are my own original work. This article has also been posted on my personal website (URL in profile), but it's had a grand total of 5 views over all time. Hopefully people here find it more useful?

EQUIPMENT USED:
– Canon 5D MKIII
– Canon 16-35mm
– Canon 100-400mm