The 1GZ-powered Supra that gained infamy for a 197mph run on a British motorway in the 90s is up for grabs

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It’s a fair assumption that there are more modified Mk4 Supras out there than surviving stock examples. With that in mind, it takes something quite special to stand out from the herd, which is what this ‘Top Secret’ Mk4 does for two reasons: what’s been done to it, and its reputation. Firstly, let’s deal with the “what’s been done to it” angle. Under the bonnet, you’ll find the 5.0-litre ‘1GZ-FE’ engine from the Toyota Century. Yep, Japan’s sole production V12. There’s not much of the original engine left though, and with some serious added boost via a pair of HKS GT 2835 turbochargers, it makes well over 1000bhp.

Now we’ll deal with the ‘reputation’ bit. Kazuhiko ‘Smokey’ Nagata - the founder of Top Secret, who very much lives up to his nickname - brought the car to the UK in 1999, where he thought he’d see how fast he could get it. At 4am. On the A1M motorway.

The aim was 200mph, and thanks to wet conditions Smokey fell short, but only just - he still managed 197mph. Shortly after he was pulled over by the police, who understandably took a dim view of the early-morning high-speed run. Nagata was arrested and swiftly deported.