The Nine Lives Supra
Tyson Elder’s 1983 Toyota Celica Supra.
Tuesday’s feature!!! I know that was a little too much enthusiasm for a weekday. I just hope everyone can relax after a long day of work. Perhaps today’s feature can help brush the thoughts and stress off from work and take us back to the good ole 1980s.
No really. Buckle up because it’s going to be a very long story. But I promise it’s a good one.
This beauty rolled off the dealership lot in 1983. It was bought and paid for Brand New by Tyson’s grandfather. Sadly, 2 years later in 1985, it got written off after being struck by a truck. The end right?
Well, Tyson’s grandfather was a very smart driven man whom if he had the will. He found a way. So he ended up calling his local Toyota dealership to be directed to their parts department and ended up ordering a brand new chassis.
*I’m not sure if this would work today*
After a long conversation with the parts department, a new chassis was pulled mid-production straight off the line in Japan and shipped to Wagin, Australia.
Keep in mind that Tyson’s grandfather was a smart guy. Because the original, now wrecked, Supra was insured he was able to get a new Supra through Insurance. He was also able to keep the totaled Supra. You can actually see the two Supras side by side in the photos below. After the chassis was shipped from Japan he proceeded to strip the totaled Supra and transfer all the parts onto the 85 chassis. During the teardown, he continued to drive the insurance-issued Supra. Once everything was transferred and the “Chassis” Supra ran he ended up selling the “Insurance” Supra. In total, there were 3 Supras at one point, and can also be seen together. I’ll be honest that was a little fun figuring out how to word.
Our story’s wrecked 1983 Celica Supra pictured next to the insurance-issued Supra.
“After the chassis was shipped from Japan he proceeded to strip the totaled Supra and transfer all the parts onto the 85 chassis. During the teardown, he continued to drive the insurance-issued Supra.”
Now that the Supra ran, it was put on a train to Sydney for a road trip on the eastern side of Australia around 1987/1988. You can bet he enjoyed every minute of that ride. Shortly after, the Supra remained garaged and loved until about 2000 where it was then leant to family members.
Photo of Tyson’s Grandfather next to his 83 Celica Supra and an 80’s Toyota Corolla.
Tyson received her as a 21st birthday gift in 2007 however she wasn’t in as great of a state as she was in the 80’s. The engine wouldn't rev over 3k, the diff had extreme whine, the interior carpets were stained, the roof had faded to white, the rear hatch had respray with no gloss, the front bumper was cracked, and paint was chipping everywhere. In 2007, instead of fixing the 5M-EU, Tyson bought a 2JZ-GE with an automatic transmission out of a 1995 JZA80. He had the car lowered, diff rebuilt, replaced the carpet, and installed an aftermarket stereo. The head unit remained stock however it was now connected to an Audison Bit10-D processor linked to a 4-channel amp and mono amp that powered 2x Kicker ss front splits, 2x Herts 6x9s in the rear, and 1x 10" slimline Pioneer.
Tyson on his 21st birthday, receives the 1983 Celica Supra his Grandfather had built from the ground up.
In 2008, she was side-swiped on the way to work on the left-hand side. Tyson took this opportunity to get her completely resprayed in the original 8B4 color code. He was also able to install a 3" Mandrel bent stainless system with magnaflow mufflers.
The aftermath of being side-swiped one unfortunate day on the way to work.
In 2009 Tyson killed the rebuilt stock diff, bought another stock diff, and had it installed.
In 2010, Tyson’s daily wouldn't start, so he drove the Supra to work when someone unexpectedly pulled in front. Insurance deemed her a financial write off.
Later that year, Tyson sourced another MKII Supra that was used to donate the front end. Unfortunately, it was still missing a front bumper as well as the front flares. Tyson was able to get the frame and body resprayed however life got in the way and it had to sit in the garage until 2014. He did have moments here and there to work on the 2JZ since it was out such as replacing the timing belt, seals, and gaskets.
When 2014 came around, Tyson had finally reinstalled the 2JZ-GE, sourced a front bumper as well as a pair of flares. He was so ecstatic to get it running again he ended up just painting them himself.
In 2017, Tyson had swapped the 2008 exhaust system for 2.5" mandrel bent mild steel w/ dual inline triflow mufflers.
In 2018, Tyson and his father added pinstripes to bring it to its original 1985 look.
In 2019 Tyson blew the diff AGAIN and finally pulled the trigger on a TruTrac Torsen LSD. He also replaced all of the bushings and upgraded to Poly.
In 2020, a friend found a panel beater who professionally painted the front bumper and flares which had begun to fade from his 2014 rattle can job.
Today, the car is well loved and has a long list of mods and parts that have been added throughout the years.
Other than what has already been gone over: The windows had received tint, the underbody had been resprayed, new bearings all around, calipers had been rebuilt with more aggressive pads, a custom intake/air box added, and a rebuilt steering rack. Some of the more exciting parts besides that Torsen LSD can be found in the suspension such as the Lovell low springs and Monroe GT Shocks. Let’s not forget the countless hours of searching for trim and other various oem parts.
For the people interested in the fitment: It sits on 225/60/R14 fronts and 235/60/R14 for the rears with a 1" spacer to fill out the factory flares.
As most car owners know, no matter how much work we put into these machines they’re never done and they’re always evolving. Every car has its own personality and quirks. The roof lining is original and still shows creases from where the roof of the 1983 got crushed in. The arm rest on drivers side has a 'dent' from where his grandfathers elbow slammed into it. Either way, the car is beautiful and has come a long way.
If you have made it this far and read the entire story thank you so much! I hope I kept it interesting and told the story of this build right. If you’re interested in keeping up with the build go follow Tyson Elder! He’s the owner and I’m sure there’s more to come.
If you’re a fan of Toyota Supra’s and looking deeper past the photos of a “finished” project give The Supra Page a follow! It’s a page all about Supras and the story and work behind a build. I’m always looking for Supra’s to feature so feel free to also send a message.
Thanks again for sharing your story Tyson! I look forward to what the future holds in store for you and your build.
Owner: Tyson Elder
Year/Make/Model: 1985 Toyota Supra
Power: ~215
Photographer: Photomotive WA (Kyle Attwood)
Editor: Emily Soloman
