Photo courtesy Primo Classics International
Take a Toyota Celica, stretch the nose a bit, fit an inline-six and, bam, you have the original Supra. That first Supra debuted for the 1979 model year, giving Toyota an alternative to the day’s Z-car. What a time to be alive, right?
But when’s the last time you have seen a super-clean early Supra? How about this 1979 Toyota Celica Supra billed as mint and original? Stock wheels, stock seats, stock everything.
Two possible issues: Do we care that it has an automatic, and how do we feel about the asking price? (Hagerty, by the way, says that a No.1 example should bring $31,000.)
Find this 1979 Toyota Supra on Primo Classics International, with an asking price of $36,900.
Wow, that's really clean. Makes me miss mine. I had a 1979 Supra just like that, except in metallic brown with a tan interior.
It was a mechanical nightmare, and full of Supra-only parts that even in 1990 were totally NLA.
It was fun to drive, in a live-axle sort of way. Lots of torque.
I sold it for $500 in 1995 with almost zero back brakes and no thermostat in it. It had over 250,000 miles on it and the tags were good for another 10 months or so, but I never saw it again.
Could have bought one with a bad clutch for $200 from one of our teachers in high school. Super low miles was owned by his grandma and the clutch went bad from sitting. I thought it was kind of ugly.
Opps.
That is an amazingly clean car, but wow that price is insane.
MiniDave said:That is an amazingly clean car, but wow that price is insane.
Just realized that it is an automatic. Mine was a 5-speed manual. To answer the article's question, yes, we care. This is a Japanese pony car - a manual transmission fulfills that mission much better. Who wants a 6-cylinder Mustang with an auto box?
And agreed, nice as it is, that price is pure fantasy. Is it worth that? Yes, given its condition. Will anybody actually pay it? Almost certainly not.
In reply to Duke :
That statement is kind of at odds with itself. If it is worth it, someone will pay that amount. If nobody is willing to pay that amount then it is, by definition, not worth it.
Will this bring 37? I don't know, but I do know that I just watched a 1991 CRX bring over 41.
I agree, the price is up there, but this one looked too clean not to share.
I love this kind of stuff, and would overpay to get something that I've always wanted if it's in perfect condition.
I understand the $41k CRX, but this is an $8000 Supra. And I've always liked these cars.
I'm not sure if Big Money Nostalgia Guy is out there for this one.
brandonsmash said:In reply to Duke :
That statement is kind of at odds with itself. If it is worth it, someone will pay that amount. If nobody is willing to pay that amount then it is, by definition, not worth it.
Of course that's technically true. In theory, its rarity - and, mostly, the rarity of its condition - should mean it is worth that price.
But as we all know, theory and practice are often not the same.
In the first twelve years of my Supra ownership, I'd had 7 of them, and only went without a Supra in my life for about five months... in which I'd sold my first one to my then roommate. To say it simply, I'm a Supra guy, I've had at least one of each.
I'll echo the sentiment that finding quality Supra specific parts for a Mk1 is gonna be a very, very difficult prospect in 2024. I'd be afraid to drive that thing. It really belongs in a museum, and I hope that it finds itself there someday. This is one of the best looking ones I've ever seen...
I had an RA4x Celica for a couple years, and while that was one of the smoothest driving cars I've owned, the automatic is the specific reason I sold it. Autos and old Japanese cars (or just old cars in general) are a bad pair for anything even remotely sporty looking.
You rarely see a discussion here where the comments are "gee, that's a really good price for that car." $40k+ prices for classic Japanese cars is going to be the norm soon.
Displaying 1-10 of 11 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
