Weekend Warrior MKII
David Elliot’s 1983 Toyota Celica Supra
Today’s feature is a 1983 MkII Supra owned by David Elliot. This modest build makes for a fun weekend warrior while retaining Toyota reliability for daily use.
David grew up around cars through his father who was a hot rod builder, circle track racer, mud bogger, and a master of custom body work and paint. His first vehicle, given to him by his Dad, was a 1979 GMC Jimmy with a 350 small block paired to a 4 speed manual.
David's love for Supras started by chance, when he saw a red 1985 Celica Gt-s with P-Type wheels on it sitting in a front yard. The 22RE on this Supra was blown so he looked for a replacement engine and came across another complete Supra but in better condition and with the bigger engine. This marked the beginning of his Supra collection, with a total of five MKII’s over time.
David's current Supra is a white one that he bought from his best friend's mother. His friend's parents were also Supra enthusiasts, who bought, sold, and provided Supra parts for anyone in need in British Columbia. They were like a second family to David, who shared their passion for cars. Unfortunately, they died in a tragic accident while delivering some parts up North. Since David had bought the white Supra from them, it has become a prized possession with priceless sentimental value.
Currently the Supra is mostly stock, as he likes to keep things simple and reliable. But among the few added modifications were an auto to manual swap opting for the Toyota W58 transmission. A welded open diff (4.10 ratio), pacesetter headers, Megan coilovers, and an oil cooler for added reliability.
If you have a good eye you may notice certain cosmetic changes, such as louvers that may not look so OEM. After all, they originally came off a 240z. Some of the other small changes are a rear flare delete and an ever changing set of wheels.
With a collection of approximately 13 sets it is no surprise David’s other hobby of collecting wheels from the 80’s includes rare gems like Work Equips from Japan. But don’t let this fool you as David is not interested in their value but rather the style and history… With an added bonus of giving his Supra a different look and feel every now and then.
David's future plans for his Supra are to enjoy it and drive it as much as he can. He does not want to worry about cosmetics, wether it be paint chips or dents, as he thinks the car deserves to be driven and not just parked. Therefore, on top of being a daily driver the car serves as a weekend warrior drift machine.
Build wise, some of David’s ambitions include swapping to an older distributor style 1JZ and keeping the original look of the engine by grafting over his 5MGE valve covers. He also wants to install an ITB (Individual Throttle Body) kit and to combine the ability to drop 2 inches with coil over adjustment and function via an air cup system.
Thank you btw for answering these questions it was awesome talking with you and getting to know the story behind the Supra. It’s got some history. Especially with your friend’s parents. I hope you and your friend are able to drive together someday.
Owner: David Elliott
Year/Make/Model: 1983 Toyota Supra P-Type
Drivetrain: 5MGE and W58
Power: 150hp
Photography: Dodologic, Steazyvisuals, and Sterlingmakaraphotography
