The Fast & Furious franchise is as much about the cars as it is the people; or family because Dominic Toretto doesn’t have friends, only family. That being said, some of the four-wheeled celebrities are eternally associated with the franchise and that iconic orange 1994 JZA80 Toyota Supra from the first movie is one of them.
Although it only appeared in the second half of the movie, it was undeniably the hero-car of the first movie and coined the term “10-second car” for that generation.
It cemented its cult status during the race with the Ferrari F355 Spider that resulted in another cult classic quote; “More than you can afford, pal.”
Well, that very statement now applies to the Supra as one of the actual cars used in the production of the first Fast & Furious was sold at auction for a whopping USD550,000 (RM2.28 million) at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas.
That’s really more than what most of us can afford.
The iconic shade of orange is a Lamborghini colour; specifically Diablo Candy Orange Pearl. Equally recognisable is the Troy Lee-designed “Nuclear Gladiator” motif on the sides.
Being a back-up car, it’s purely cosmetics with the legendary 2JZ-GTE 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six left mostly stock and paired with a four-speed automatic that’s had the shifter mocked up like a manual to make things easier for the actors to deal with while driving for in-car shots.
Remember, even Jordana Brewster, who plays Mia Toretto, only learnt how to drive a manual for the movie. So, a slushbox makes it easier for shooting purposes. The 50,000 manual shifts for each driving scene is shot separately anyways.
Those wheels are 19-inch Dazz Motorsport Racing Hart M5 Tuner items. Making up the exterior is a Bomex front spoiler and side skirts with a TRD-style hood. Out back, it’s an APR aluminum biplane wing.
The original hero Supra is owned by Craig Lieberman, the technical director for the first two movies in the franchise. That unit has actual go-fast bits under the hood.
However, this car that sold still has some impressive chops on its resume. Lieberman confirmed that the late Paul Walker, who played Brian O’Connor, drove the car during the scene where his character chases Johnny Tran (played by Rick Yune) on a motorcycle.
This back-up Supra was built by former stuntman Eddie Paul at The Shark Shop in El Segundo, California. Interestingly, it also appeared in the opening scene of 2 Fast 2 Furious though you’ll be forgiven for not recognising it.
The Shark Shop transformed the Supra into Slap Jack’s car for that scene in which he crashes during the race. Once the second film was done shooting, the car was reverted back into its orange form.