The iconic Castrol decor of this Toyota Supra competition does not deceive, being one of the cars of TOM’S, or better, of the Toyota Team Castrol TOM’S Racing Supra, which raced in the JGTC (Japanese Touring Championship) at the end of the last century.
It has the number 36, so it is the same car that participated in the 1998 edition of the championship, with drivers Masanori Sekiya and Norbert Fontana at the controls.
This ancient racing machine was found abandoned in a warehouse in the Chugoku region of Japan and found itself in a depressing state. It is suspected that it was put aside shortly after the championship ended, that is, it must have been out of action for at least 20 years.
Although on the outside it appears to be in fair condition, this racing Toyota Supra was found without its 3SGTE engine — were you expecting the 2JZ-GTE? The JGTC Supras ran with a four-cylinder engine, not a six.
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A new engine is needed, but everything else, both outside and inside, needs a facelift. And that is precisely what will happen.
415,000 euros of restoration
Interestingly, it will be TOM’S who developed the car in the first place, who will restore this “old glory” of the circuits. And to do so, it started a crowdfunding campaign. Using a Japanese platform similar to Kickstarter, TOM’S hopes to collect the ¥50,000,000 (50 million yen, approximately €415,000) needed to do so.
The platform is called Makuake and the value was divided into levels to be reached, each one allowing for larger areas of intervention.
Thus, if you reach 10 million yen (approx. 83,000 euros) all the exterior and interior will be recovered. If it reaches 30 million yen (approx. 249,000 euros), the Toyota Supra competition will be able to be driven; if they get the 50 million yen, the Supra will be restored to its original specification, ready to ride on the circuit.
Donors can donate between 41 euros and approximately 83,000 euros and have all kinds of benefits: from seeing their name engraved on the ECU (control unit) to being able to “rent” it for an entire day, with the right to drive it on a circuit . Of course, in order to do so, they will have to be the biggest donors and there are only seven places available for that ultimate prize.
TOM'S hopes to complete the restoration of its racing Toyota Supra by the spring of 2021, if there are no conflicts on its schedule — TOM'S continues to participate in several championships — which, like so many others, have seen their plans changed by consequence of the pandemic.