[Make it Yours]

Pissing off a purist in any scene is not uncommon. As our 80s & 90s cars hit Classic Car status, there are enthusiasts going backwards. Backwards? Yes–backwards. Those stock parts that owners used to throw away, or sell cheap, to make way for upgrades are now rushing back to acquire said parts. If you get a Classic Car project with a vision in mind then don’t let purists sway you. You should build your car to make it yours.

Purists argue that engineers skillfully designed the cars as they were for the best of their time in production. They’ll tell you that taking away or changing those OEM goodies takes away from the character and soul of the car and everything that made them great. If you find yourself in a scenario of building a Classic Car project–then really–the execution will be the make-or-break.

After owning a factory TT-6spd Supra for almost 10 years it became frustrating dealing with a leaky targa top. With any targa car comes body flex which induced creaking. Sure, I could’ve fixed the leak with a new seal, but the chassis would continue to moan over speed bumps and up driveways. It was time for a slick top Supra.

Supra prices began to rise around 2014. Early 2000s, you could find a non-turbo Supra for $10K to $15K. I searched for a clean slick top for two years and found one in 2016. It was a 1-owner Supra SE (Special Edition), non-turbo, slick top, 63K miles, and at a Toyota dealership in Indiana. It was listed for $26K, and I phoned in a $24K offer from Florida but they declined. Two days later, with my truck and trailer, I drove 11 hours to that Indiana dealership. Upon arrival, I test drove the Supra, offered $23K cash out-the-door, and they accepted.

Going through the old paperwork from 1995 was a trip back into the past. Original window sticker and manuals were included. It was bought new from Butler Indiana Toyota in ’95, and traded-in at (same dealership) Butler in ’16. The salesman would tell me this Supra’s original owner, elder female, traded in for a new-model sedan. I’d later confirm it was lady-driven when finding travel perfume and lipstick tucked between a seat.

In a time of rising 2JZGTE prices, you’d have to wonder where the swap would be sourced, and it came from my ’94 TT-6 Supra. Here’s the part that pissed off purists: I would take the engine from the new, white Supra and install it back into the TT-6 shell along with the automatic transmission.

Once the engines were in place, the white Supra would receive the red Supra’s clutch pedal, manual gauge cluster, TT brakes, and stronger rear diff. Additionally, a new manual transmission tunnel was ordered from Toyota to fully convert from auto to manual. The entire dual swap was completed in less than 90 days from key start, to key start. The red TT-6 VIN’d Supra was listed and sold as a non-turbo, automatic car and shipped off to Texas to the new owner.

Two months later, after another round of fuel modifications, the white Supra would put down 814 horsepower. It’s a monster when boost lag ends and the power throws you back. The previous setup made 604 horses on a stock block, and it was still on a stock block when it made 814.

Is there a shamed TT-6 VIN Supra running around Texas right now? Maybe. I did hear it at least was converted back to a manual trans albeit ’twas a weaker 5spd. As for my dual build; there was some light backlash on the forums, yet there was some kudos thrown my way. By 2017, TT-6 targa Supras rose in value astronomically, and slick tops continued to increase higher than targas. JDM (right-hand drive) Supras were also set to begin landing onto U.S. shores. Buying an original slick top, USDM TT-6 platform would’ve buried me in the hole to include dealing with an angry wife.

To this day, I still have that white slick top Supra. And now in 2021, finding a rolling shell (left-hand drive) slick top in good shape may run $30K+. Believe it or not, the red Supra was sold for the same price I bought it as a true TT-6 in 2008. While the red TT-6 Supra could be worth more now with the drivetrain back in it–I made my Supra, and I made it mine.