Toyota has always reserved its Supra model for drivers who liked the idea of a performance model that could also do grand touring duty. It’s not unlike the Porsche 928 in many ways, which did a similar job of combining performance with interior comfort and “long legged-ness” on the local interstate. However, the MK3 Supra hasn’t become a sought-after collectible despite having great credentials on paper, and the turbocharged version is still a very strong performer even by today’s standards. The 1991 Toyota Supra Turbo shown here on eBay may have a headgasket leak but could still be worth a look with a starting bid of $2,500.

My neighbor had a turbocharged Supra back in the day; he was an engineer and a deacon. I never actually noticed it was a Turbo model until my brother pointed it out years later, long after we had moved and the deacon had bought a Camry or some other reliable means of conveyance. It turns out the Turbo “clues” were fairly obscure, reduced to a small badge on the rear end and the color-keyed spoiler. In retrospect, it was the perfect car for someone like him who was clearly a gearhead deep down but didn’t want the world to know he splurged on a performance car.

The interiors were not exotic affairs, continuing the conservative theme. While road test editors at the time praised the driver-focused controls and gauges, let’s be honest – this was a very basic cockpit, in keeping with Toyota products at the time. There was a leather option for $1,000 in 1987 dollars, but other than that, this is what you got. The automatic transmission was optional and many drivers seemed to opt for it. The 5-speed manual is seen far less, but it kicks values up a fair amount should you be lucky enough to find one with three pedals. The interior in our subject car shows some signs of wear but nothing that can’t be fixed.

The 7M-GTE engine was simply a turbocharged version of the naturally-aspirated inline-six that came standard in the Supra. It kicked up power nicely to 230 horsepower and 246 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine also received an oil cooler and distrubtor-less ignition system set-up. The improvements in output resulted in some impressive performance times, yielding a run to 60 in just 6.4 seconds. Consider the era in which this Supra was made and that’s a seriously quick blitz for a model that wasn’t produced in Zuffenhausen. This car does suffer from a tragic flaw this engine is known for, which is tied to weak headgaskets, so be prepared for that job if you’re a fan of the MK3 Supra.