1994 Toyota TRD 3000GT - Sports Car Market

Chassis Number: JZA800011586

Photo courtesy of Broad Arrow Auctions

Just 35 Supras were transformed into their ultimate version, and only one in left-hand drive

This example is the 21st car assembled of the 35 factory TRD 3000GTs, and is the only recorded example based on a U.S.-delivery car. The car began life as a top-of-line 1994 Toyota Supra RZ finished in white and equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission and Aero Top. According to internal dealership records, this car was manufactured in September 1993 and was delivered new the following month to the California Environmental Engineering testing facility in Santa Ana.

However, this example was quickly purchased by an individual from Tokyo who was on holiday in the United States, and it was shipped back to its homeland at the beginning of 1994 — its clean Car VX Vehicle History Report notes first Japanese registration that April. A serial plate in the engine compartment, which crucially differentiates each factory example, indicates that the car was converted to full TRD 3000GT specifications at the Shibaura plant in May 2001.

Having accumulated some 32,000 miles in Japan, the TRD 3000GT was subsequently purchased by a Danish owner, who imported it around 2007 and exhibited the rare Toyota at various car shows until 2015, when it was purchased locally by the consignor.

The consignor has reportedly driven the car a mere 1,500 miles over the past 11 years of careful ownership; primarily maintenance drives of only about 150 miles per year for a car now recognized as a unicorn in the Japanese-car world.

In the spirit of Toyota’s own desire to take advantage of the Supra’s well-documented reception of modification, an arsenal of period-correct aftermarket components have been fitted under prior ownership. Crucially, the car retains its TRD exhaust, Type S rear wing, steering wheel and speedometer/tachometer fitted as part of the TRD 3000GT enhancements.

This 1994 Toyota TRD 3000GT presents an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire one of Toyota’s most elusive performance cars: a factory-built tuning special that faithfully channels the spirit of the marque’s entrance into top-flight Japanese GT racing. Unique even among the 35 genuine TRD 3000GTs as the only U.S.-specification example, it is without doubt a future cornerstone of any curated collection of Japanese performance unicorns.

(Introductory description courtesy of Broad Arrow Auctions.)

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Vehicle:	1994 Toyota TRD 3000GT
Years Produced:	From 1994
Number Produced:	35
Chassis Number Location:	Stamped on right side of engine-bay firewall, tag at lower left of windshield
Engine Number Location:	tamped on a flat pad on the front-right engine block, below oil filter
Club Info:	SupraForums
Website:	www.supraforums.com/
Alternatives:	1998 Subaru Impreza 22B STI, 2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R, 2003 NISMO Z-Tune Edition

This car, Lot 148, sold for $582,500, including buyer’s premium, at Broad Arrow Auctions’ Carmel, CA, sale, on August 13, 2026.

At first blush, the better part of $600k may seem like insane money for a hotted-up Supra. However, collectors in this sector value factory enhancements, high performance and rarity, meaning this result may soon be viewed as a bargain.

Sorting Supras

The Toyota Supra is grand-touring sports car with fastback-coupe styling, first introduced in 1978. The first- and second-generation cars were code-named A40/A50 and A60, respectively, and were sold as Celica XX (pronounced “Celica double-X”) in Japan and Celica Supra throughout the rest of the world. In May 1986, the connection between Celica and Supra was severed, and from there the monikers continued as separate and distinct lines. Consequently, the third-generation A70 and fourth-generation A80 cars were simply known as Supra. Whereas the first- through third-generation models were manufactured in Tahara, Aichi, Japan, A80 Supras were built in the Motomachi plant in Toyota City, Japan.

Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is the in-house performance workshop of Toyota, whose origins can be traced to 1957, when Toyota Sports Corner (TOSCO) fielded a Toyopet Crown in the Round Australia Rally. In 1976, TOSCO was rebranded as TRD during a time when it was rapidly expanding its line of performance components. Three years later, TRD USA was established in Costa Mesa, CA, to service the U.S. motorsports and tuner markets. Today, TRD serves as a development arm of Toyota, enhancing the performance potential of the company’s street machines while also supporting various racing programs.

Road to track to road

When corporate brass decided to compete in the inaugural All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) in 1993, they enlisted SARD (Sigma Advanced Racing Development) to create a widebody A80 Supra to compete in Class GT1. Although Toyota Team SARD’s racing machine was not nearly as competitive as planned, it inspired TRD to create a roadgoing version, which was known as the TRD 3000GT.

Unveiled in January 1994 at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the TRD 3000GT wore the same aerodynamic fiberglass body as the racing SARD Supra. The fenders were extended by a significant two inches front and 2.4 inches rear to allow for wider wheels and tires, and the front fascia was enlarged to accept an uprated intercooler. Special side skirts were fitted to improve airflow, and the TRD 3000GT also received a unique rear spoiler.

Perhaps the most recognizable feature of the TRD 3000GT was the hood, which was built with four distinctive air vents, engineered to minimize negative pressure while delivering fresh air to Toyota’s potent 2JZ-GTE engine. This 3-liter DOHC inline-6 sported twin sequential turbochargers and produced between 276 and 320 hp in standard Supras, depending on the delivery market. With the 3000GT, TRD provided customers with even more power.

Transformed, not born

There are several interesting quirks to the TRD 3000GT story. First, every TRD 3000GT began as a mass-produced A80 Supra built on the Toyota factory assembly line. Later, mechanics working at TRD’s workshop removed the original Supra body panels, installing widebody components, executing various upgrades and affixing an official TRD 3000GT identification plate to the firewall. Regardless of the date of completion, each car retained its original Toyota factory build date.

Second, although only 35 examples of this very special machine were produced by TRD, each of the car’s special body-kit components could be ordered by a Supra owner. Today, this means that there are likely thousands of A80 Supras wearing 3000GT bodies. These cars are certainly worthy but are not genuine TRD 3000GTs.

Third, the TRD serial/production number of each 3000GT was based on the date the order was placed, not on the day the car was transformed. This numbering system, based on each customer’s slot position in the 3000GT program, has created a situation where a car converted in 2001 could have a lower production number than one transformed in 1997. This explains how our subject car, completed in 2001, owns production number 21. Simply stated, it was the 21st 3000GT ordered, not the 21st example executed at TRD.

What’s the ultimate worth?

The closest JDM sports car comparable to the TRD 3000GT is likely Nissan’s NISMO Z-Tune Edition, based on the R34 Skyline GT-R. Starting in 2003, Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO) began producing a run of 20 units, and today the 500-hp-plus NISMO Z-Tune is considered the ultimate expression of the Skyline GT-R franchise. Examples have traded hands for seven-figure sums.

While $582,500 may seem like a huge amount to pay for a transformed A80 Supra, TRD 3000GTs rarely come to market and are highly coveted by JDM collectors. Our subject car not only benefited from numerous performance upgrades with nearly 500 horsepower on tap but, crucially, was also the only TRD 3000GT built from a U.S.-spec left-hand-drive Supra. A very expensive Toyota Supra, yes. But at less than half the price of a NISMO Z-Tune, I’ll call it fairly bought for now.

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