1998 Toyota Supra Seized by Cops Sells at Auction for $265,000
The Supra’s final price of $265,000 is a record for a non-movie car.
Last month, we clued you in about a rather interesting lot of confiscated enthusiast cars headed to auction. The vehicles in question included more than two dozen performance cars seized by the state of Massachusetts after a massive drug bust in late 2020. Among those seized were 13 examples of the iconic Toyota Supra, all of which were finally sold this weekend at auction.
We've seen these fourth-generation Supras go for mad money in the past. In fact, last August, the Bring a Trailer record was smashed after some buyer paid $201,000 for a bone-stock car with 6,571 miles on it. However, that record was broken not once but twice after two different MK4 Supras sold for well over the BaT record.
A total of 13 fourth-generation Supras crossed the auction block over the weekend, all of which belonged to the now-deceased person from whom they were confiscated. Altogether, the cars brought in just over $1.8 million, or an average of around $139,000 per car. However, two of the hammer prices stood out.
The first surprise of the day was when a 1993 Toyota Supra with just 8,169 miles received a winning bid of $237,500. This example was the ideal enthusiast spec: twin-turbocharged 2JZ, six-speed manual transmission, painted in beautiful Super White overtop of a near-pristine black leather interior. As if that wasn't enough, the next Supra to go up for auction—a 1998 Supra with 22,962 miles painted in ultra-rare Quicksilver—sold for an astounding $265,000. Supposedly, according to a forum poster who claims to know the buyer of the Quicksilver car, it is headed to a private collection in California, where it will be stored for the foreseeable future.
For comparison, the Toyota Supra with the highest bid on Bring a Trailer was a 1995 model with just 7,000 miles that sold for $201,000. Another high-dollar listing was the Supra from The Fast and the Furious, which sold for $550,000 at Barrett-Jackson last year, though that has some Hollywood inflation backing it up.
Now, these hammer prices don't include a 15 percent buyer's premium (or state sales tax, for that matter). The additional premium quickly turns the $265,000 purchase into $304,750, plus tax. A buyer's fee is no stranger to specialty vehicle auctions. For example, BaT charges a 5 percent buyer's fee, and auction services like Mecum can take up to 12 percent.
The individual who owned these vehicles prior to them being seized—Cory Taylor—had impeccable taste in motoring, storing away BMW M3s, Honda S2000s, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, Nissan GT-Rs, and more. His forum posts outline a plethora of toys (many of which appear to have been modified in some way) that were ultimately seized upon his arrest.
That being said, there were other other options to bid on at the auction in case Supras just aren't your thing.
While not all of Taylor's collection made it to auction, 29 cars were available to bid on. This included seven BMW M3s, a BMW M4, two Honda S2000s, two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, two Nissan 350zs, an Acura Integra, and more. Many of the cars also had notably low mileage. The pair of S2000s, for example, had fewer than 7,000 miles combined, and one Nissan 350z had under 6,000 miles.
So there you have it folks: another example of enthusiast cars running amok in value. I'm not sure which lesson this teaches me though...crime doesn't pay? Hoard cars for profit? Buy the hero color? Either way, it could be some time before we see another Supra break this record at an auction.
