At this point, you’ve seen the Mk4 Toyota Supra dressed up in every conceivable manner, be it with carefully selected carbon bits and questionable aero additions or widebody, almost unrecognizable attire. If you happen to spot a JZA80 Supra such as these black and white examples, those in the know realize what their smaller rear wheels wrapped in husky, strip-worthy rubber, and their whining and snarling engines mean. That’s right, it all spells trouble—in the best way possible. But just what are these two modded Mk4 Supras all about?
Ray Rod, owner of this black ’95 model never bothered with trying to redesign what Toyota created, at least aesthetically. Other than the front lip addition, which provides more downforce and brings the front of the car down a few inches, aiding stability at high speeds, and the vented hood to help move heat out of the bay, the car’s body is entirely stock. Clearly not factory-issue Weld Racing wheels therefore stand out a bit more; the rears are wrapped in sticky Hoosiers. Those come in handy when the wick is turned up and Ray feels the tension of 800 wheel hp on pump gas or, if things get really serious, over 1,200 violent horsepower on tap when corn-fed.
Those sorts of power numbers, often tossed around haphazardly on the web, are serious. They don’t come easy, and they aren’t the result of just tossing on an oversized single turbo conversion and shooting for the moon like some would have you believe.
There is a process involved, and Ray is all too familiar, having tinkered with this car endlessly over the last few decades and having his finger on the pulse of what works and what doesn’t. Well-known in the Supra community and a bit of a celebrity in New York City, even if potential drag race losers don’t get a glimpse of the mass of rubber stacked under the rear wheel wells, his notorious “Spoolin” license plate offers fair warning. For the full story, check out this article from Motor Trend.
