Is That a Supra? — One Memory, and the Many Ways We Love Cars in Japan
Introduction Is That a SUPRA?
One day, I was casually scrolling through social media when a video caught my eye.
It had been filmed from inside an American car, looking out at the road ahead.
Then, through the passenger-side window, a white Toyota Supra pulled alongside.
The person filming noticed it and immediately blurted out:
“Is That a SUPRA?”
The window came down, and the countdown began.
“Three, two, one.”
At the signal, both drivers hit the throttle.
The Ford Mustang roared as the two cars ran side by side—but the Supra suddenly surged forward with astonishing force, leaving the Mustang behind.
It grew smaller and smaller in the distance, until it disappeared from view.
Laughter filled the car.
And sitting in front of my screen, I burst out laughing too.
Fast.
It was ridiculously fast.
For a moment, it felt as though I had caught a glimpse into the world of street racing culture outside Japan.
But one question stayed with me.
Why was that Supra so fast?
Of course, there was no way to know from the video alone what modifications had been made to it.
But once I started learning a little more about the A80 (Mk4) Supra, its performance somehow began to make sense.
And one of the biggest reasons was sitting right under the hood.
The engine.
Chapter 1 “Well, That Explains It.” — The 2JZ and the Supra
The turbocharged A80 Supra was powered by an engine called the 2JZ-GTE.
It was a 2,997cc DOHC inline-six. In the Japanese-market version, it came with twin turbochargers and was officially rated at 280 PS (276 hp), with 44.0 kg-m of torque.
Today, the number “280 PS” alone may not sound particularly astonishing.
But the reason this engine became so beloved by tuners around the world was never just about its factory output.
The 2JZ-GTE was built with a cast-iron cylinder block.
Technical specifications and engine construction can quickly start to sound complicated, but what fascinated me was what came next.
By strengthening internal components such as the pistons and connecting rods, fitting larger turbochargers, or increasing displacement, tuners have pushed these engines toward levels of performance that bear little resemblance to the original factory car.
Watch drag racing overseas, and you will see Supras performing in ways that are almost impossible to imagine from the phrase “a 280 PS Japanese car.”
I had seen videos on social media before of 2JZ-powered cars accelerating at almost unbelievable speeds.
When I went back and checked the figures I remembered, I realized that I had mixed together details from different records.
But even after checking again, my conclusion did not really change.
They are still unbelievably fast.
I thought back to the white Supra from the opening video.
“Well, that explains it.”
That was how I felt.
But what makes this car interesting is not just what it can actually do.
Overseas, one famous story about the Supra became so widely shared that it took on a life of its own.
In 2017, Bugatti released a video showing the Chiron accelerating from 0 to 400 km/h and then braking back to a complete stop. The footage attracted attention around the world.
And then another story began to spread.
“The camera car filming alongside that Chiron was a 1,250-horsepower A80 Supra.”
Images making that claim circulated on social media, and many people believed it.
But the camera car was actually another Chiron.
In other words, a Supra was not chasing a Bugatti at nearly 400 km/h while filming it.
Even so, I find the fact that the story spread at all fascinating.
This was supposed to be a camera car keeping pace with a Bugatti accelerating toward 400 km/h, and yet people around the world could still look at the claim and think:
“If it’s a Supra... maybe.”
The fact that the story was false is almost beside the point here.
What interests me is that it could spread so convincingly—with even a figure like 1,250 horsepower attached to it.
That shows just how extraordinary the names Supra and 2JZ had become.
Perhaps that is another side of the Supra: not simply the car Toyota built in Japan, but the legend that grew around it overseas.
And if we are going to talk about someone in Japan who kept chasing ever greater speed with the Supra, there is one person we cannot leave out.
Kazuhiko Nagata.
A man the world would come to know as:
Smokey Nagata.
Chapter 2 The Man Who Never Stopped Chasing Speed — Smokey Nagata
Kazuhiko Nagata.
Known overseas as “Smokey Nagata,” he is one of the best-known figures in Japanese tuning culture.
After working as a Toyota mechanic and later for the tuning-parts company Trust, Nagata founded Top Secret in Chiba Prefecture in 1991.
The name has an unusual origin.
While working at Trust, Nagata is said to have secretly tuned customers’ cars after finishing his regular work for the company.
It was work he kept secret from his employer.
His own “top secret.”
And that eventually became the name of his company.
One of the events that made Nagata famous not only in Japan but among car enthusiasts around the world took place in Britain in 1998.
Late at night on the A1(M), Nagata attempted a high-speed run in a Supra he had modified himself.
Several different figures are still associated with that run.
Top Secret’s official website gives a speed of 340 km/h.
Meanwhile, 317 km/h has been widely reported in connection with his arrest. In an interview with Nagata published by the British automotive media outlet Top Gear, the figure is given as 194 mph—about 312 km/h.
I am not going to speculate here about why those figures differ.
What is certain is that this was an extremely dangerous act carried out on a public road with a speed limit.
Unsurprisingly, Nagata was arrested.
In Japan, the incident has sometimes been described as the “world’s fastest speeding violation,” but it has not been confirmed as any kind of official world record.
So I do not think that phrase alone really tells us much about him.
What interests me more than the record itself is a different question:
Why did he keep chasing speed that far?
A car he built later seems to offer at least part of the answer.
A V12-powered Supra.
The engine was Toyota’s 1GZ-FE, originally used in the Toyota Century.
It was a 5.0-liter V12 designed to move a large luxury sedan quietly and smoothly.
And Nagata put one into a Supra.
That alone sounds outrageous enough.
But he did not stop there.
The engine was further modified and turbocharged, transforming it into the heart of a machine built to pursue maximum speed.
Then, in 2008, at the Nardò high-speed test track in Italy, the car reached approximately 358 km/h.
Years after that reckless high-speed run on a public road, Nagata was still chasing the same idea:
faster.
I have no desire to experience those speeds myself.
A world beyond 300 km/h is something I am perfectly happy just imagining.
And yet I cannot help looking at the cars this man builds.
Why go that far?
Why choose that engine?
How did he even fit it inside a Supra?
What will he try next?
Just thinking about those questions is part of the fun.
And Top Secret is not simply a legendary tuning shop from the past.
Even now, in 2026, Nagata continues to build cars.
But when we look more broadly at Japanese tuning culture, something becomes clear.
“Faster” is not the only reason people modify cars.
Others have taken Japanese custom-car culture around the world from an entirely different direction.
Chapter 3 Tuning Isn’t Just About Going Faster
So far, we have talked about the Supra, the 2JZ, and Smokey Nagata.
Put them all together, and it might seem as though Japanese tuning culture is simply about building stronger engines and making cars go incredibly fast.
Of course, that is one part of it.
But the joy of modifying a car goes far beyond speed.
Some people change the way a car looks.
Some modify it to handle rough terrain.
Some rebuild it around the way they personally want to use it.
Others are inspired by technology developed through motorsport and bring a little of that world into their own cars.
Start with the same model, give it to different owners, and the finished cars can look completely different.
That kind of enjoyment has long been part of Japanese car culture.
And among all the different approaches to customization, there is one Japanese brand that made people around the world turn their heads by dramatically transforming the very shape of a car.
Liberty Walk.
Chapter 4 Changing the Shape of the Car — Liberty Walk
From Aichi Prefecture to the world: Liberty Walk.
At the center of it all is its founder, Wataru Kato.
Founded in 1993, the company originally started out selling high-end used cars.
Over time, it began applying increasingly bold custom work to Lamborghinis and other supercars.
Fenders that flare dramatically outward.
A body sitting extremely low to the ground.
Wide-body conversions that seem to change the entire silhouette of the car.
And rivets deliberately left visible along the fenders.
Instead of neatly hiding the modifications, Liberty Walk makes the fact that the car has been modified part of the design itself.
Of all the Liberty Walk cars I have seen, one has stayed with me more than any other:
the Ferrari F40.
I once watched a YouTube video showing the actual process of transforming the car.
An F40 is not exactly the kind of car anyone can casually modify these days.
And yet there they were, drilling into it, cutting into the fenders, and transforming it into Liberty Walk’s distinctive wide-body style.
As I watched, I remember thinking:
“Are they really going to cut an F40?”
Part of me genuinely felt that it was a bit of a shame.
But then I saw the finished white F40, and my impression changed.
This actually looks pretty cool.
And the car did more than simply attract attention online.
At the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, it drew enormous interest and won the top award in the Import Car category of the Tokyo International Custom Car Contest.
If a car is expensive, leave it untouched.
If it is rare, preserve it exactly as it was.
There is nothing wrong with thinking that way.
But Liberty Walk took even an F40 and transformed it into the car they wanted to drive.
To me, there may be no car that expresses what Liberty Walk is about more clearly than that F40.
What Liberty Walk brought to the world was not simply a technique for making cars lower and wider.
Japan already had its own traditions of modified cars, including works-style overfenders—dramatically widened fenders rooted in Japan’s racing-inspired custom-car culture—and the kaido racer scene.
Liberty Walk took some of that atmosphere and applied it to globally recognized supercars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
That left a powerful impression on car enthusiasts overseas.
Today, the style has spread far beyond Japan, and Liberty Walk cars can be seen around the world.
But there is something else I find interesting.
It does not end with simply building and selling cars.
At Liberty Walk’s base in Aichi Prefecture, there is a space where visitors can see the cars, along with a café where they can have a coffee while looking at them.
It is not a place only for people who are there to buy a car.
Some people simply want to see them.
Some want to take photographs.
Some want to talk about the cars they love.
And those people gather there too.
A place for modifying cars has, in its own way, also become a place where car enthusiasts come together.
I think this, too, is part of what makes Japanese custom-car culture so interesting.
But after reading this far, some people may be thinking:
“Supras and F40s are a world far removed from me.”
So next, let us look at a much smaller Japanese car.
The Suzuki Jimny.
And through this little four-wheel-drive vehicle, we can see how the pleasure of turning a car into “your own” exists much closer to everyday life in Japan.
Chapter 5 The Little Jimny Offers the Same Kind of Fun
The Suzuki Jimny.
Compared with a Supra or an F40, it is a very small car.
But if we are talking about Japanese custom-car culture, I do not think we can leave it out.
The Jimny combines its compact body with genuine four-wheel-drive capability.
That is why modifications such as raising the suspension and fitting larger off-road tires suit it so well, especially for people who want to take their cars beyond ordinary paved roads.
But look at the Jimnys driving around Japanese streets, and you will find much more than that.
Some are styled to resemble classic four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Some are modified to carry camping equipment more easily.
Owners change the bumpers and grilles.
They swap the wheels.
Some combine body colors and smaller accessories to create something almost cute.
Others fit dramatically flared fenders, giving the little Jimny a presence you would never expect from its original size.
They may all be “Jimnys,” but look at the finished cars and each one can feel completely different.
That is what makes them interesting.
You do not have to do something as dramatic as cutting the fenders of a supercar.
You do not have to chase hundreds—or thousands—of horsepower.
Change the tires.
Change the wheels.
Raise the suspension a little.
Add one part you really like.
That can be enough to begin.
Of course, if you start seriously modifying a Jimny for difficult off-road terrain, the subject becomes much deeper.
But not everyone has to aim in the same direction.
“If it were mine, I’d do this.”
The little Jimny leaves plenty of room to turn that thought into something real.
Even Suzuki itself offers a wide variety of accessories and styling options for owners who want to make their Jimny suit their own tastes.
Customization no longer seems like something reserved only for specialists.
I enjoy looking at cars like these too.
I might see a Jimny sitting in a parking lot and find myself thinking:
“Oh, those wheels look good.”
“So that’s what this part looks like with that color.”
At that moment, I am not thinking about how fast the car is at all.
The way you enjoy a Jimny is completely different from the way you enjoy a Supra.
And yet the pleasure of looking at a car and wondering,
“What would I do if it were mine?”
is exactly the same.
Japanese tuning and customization culture can travel a long way from the pursuit of speed.
But there is another major branch of Japanese car culture that grew directly from competition.
Not on a perfectly paved racetrack.
Snow.
Mud.
Gravel.
Two Japanese cars fought across roads of every kind around the world.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and the Subaru Impreza.
Chapter 6 Two Japanese Cars That Fought on Roads Around the World — The Lancer Evolution and Impreza
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
The Subaru Impreza.
For anyone who loves Japanese cars from the 1990s, simply putting those two names side by side may be enough to bring their familiar shapes to mind.
And behind both of them was the WRC—the World Rally Championship.
Rallying does not take place only on perfectly paved racetracks.
There are paved roads, of course, but also gravel.
Snow and ice.
Cars charge through twisting roads, sliding from corner to corner.
There was a time when Japanese manufacturers competed seriously on roads like these around the world.
With the Impreza, Subaru won the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship three years in a row, from 1995 through 1997.
Meanwhile, driving the Lancer Evolution for Mitsubishi, Tommi Mäkinen won four consecutive Drivers’ Championships from 1996 through 1999. Mitsubishi also claimed the Manufacturers’ Championship in 1998.
The blue Impreza rally car.
And the predominantly red Lancer Evolution.
In Japan, these two cars gradually came to be seen as fierce rivals among car enthusiasts.
Which one was faster?
Which had the better four-wheel-drive system?
Which one would you choose?
Just having those conversations was part of the fun.
But I think what made these cars especially interesting was that their story did not end with the competition cars.
Go out onto the streets, and you could actually see cars carrying those same names.
Of course, the production cars we saw on ordinary roads were not the same machines competing in the WRC.
But the names were the same.
“Lancer Evolution.”
“Impreza.”
The cars you watched racing across roads around the world on television or in magazines were connected, at least in name and spirit, to cars you could actually own yourself.
And once people owned them, they began adding their own touches.
Change the exhaust.
Change the wheels.
Modify the suspension.
Work on the engine.
Admiration for the cars competing in motorsport found its way into cars driven on ordinary streets.
The excitement born in racing and rallying came down to everyday car enthusiasts through production cars they could actually own.
I think this was another important current that helped shape Japan’s tuning-car culture.
And in 1990s Japan, there was another sports car that captured the imagination of enthusiasts around the world.
The Mazda RX-7.
Under its hood was something very different from the Supra’s 2JZ, or the engines found in the Lancer Evolution and Impreza.
A rather unusual heart.
The rotary engine.
And there is one Japanese tuner who has continued pursuing that engine for decades.
Isami Amemiya of RE Amemiya.
Chapter 7 The Man Who Kept Chasing the Rotary — RE Amemiya
The Mazda RX-7.
For some people, simply hearing that name may bring its distinctive engine sound to mind.
At the heart of the RX-7 is a rotary engine.
Unlike a conventional automotive engine, there are no pistons moving up and down inside cylinders.
Instead, a roughly triangular rotor spins inside a housing. As the spaces around it change in volume, the engine carries out the processes of intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust.
Compact.
Lightweight.
Smooth even at high engine speeds.
But its unusual design also brings challenges of its own.
One man has spent decades exploring the possibilities of that engine.
Isami Amemiya.
The man behind RE Amemiya.
Since the 1970s, Amemiya has spent decades building and developing rotary-powered cars, particularly the RX-7.
RE Amemiya cars are not simply about making the engine faster.
Bodies are dramatically transformed.
Distinctive aerodynamic parts reshape their appearance.
Many of them can be recognized at a glance:
“This is no ordinary RX-7.”
And RE Amemiya did not just build these cars to display them.
They took them racing.
RE Amemiya competed for years in the GT300 class of SUPER GT with the RX-7, eventually winning the series championship in 2006.
Make it faster.
Make it turn better.
Think about how air moves around it.
Make it reliable.
And make it look good.
Everything required to build a complete car seems to connect.
When I look at this world, even a single part can catch my attention.
Before it is installed, it might look like nothing more than a piece of metal.
But then I start wondering:
“Where does this go?”
“Why is it shaped like this?”
And suddenly, I am interested.
The finished car is not the only fascinating part.
There is something interesting about the entire process of getting there.
And now, in 2026, another name from earlier in this story appears once again.
Top Secret.
Final Chapter Two Names Meet in a Single Car
2026.
RE Amemiya and Top Secret.
Two names that have spent decades shaping Japanese tuning-car culture came together in a single RX-7.
The car was based on the FD3S Mazda RX-7.
Its name:
THE SEC"RE"T 7.
Look closely at the word “SECRET,” and you will find “RE” built into it.
Top Secret and RE Amemiya.
The two names overlap even within the name of the car itself.
At the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, THE SEC"RE"T 7 won the top award in the Tuning Car category of the Tokyo International Custom Car Contest.
It then went on to win the Grand Prix.
After writing this article, I found the existence of this car especially fascinating.
We began with the Supra.
The 2JZ engine.
Smokey Nagata and his relentless pursuit of speed.
Then came Liberty Walk and Wataru Kato, transforming the very shape of cars.
The little Jimny.
The Lancer Evolution and Impreza that fought on rally stages around the world.
And Isami Amemiya of RE Amemiya, who has pursued the rotary engine for decades.
At first glance, they all seem to be heading in completely different directions.
Some people want to go faster.
Some want to change the way a car looks.
Some want to drive across rough terrain.
Some are inspired by technology born in competition.
And some spend decades pursuing the possibilities of a single type of engine.
But I think there is something they all share:
“I want to make this car closer to the car I imagine.”
And in 2026, two names that had spent decades following their own paths came together in a single RX-7.
Japanese tuning-car culture is not something that belongs only to the past.
It is still going.
As for me, I have no desire to experience its extremes firsthand.
I do not want to drive at 300 km/h.
And I certainly do not want to be the person cutting into the fenders of a supercar.
I simply enjoy looking.
A beautifully finished car.
A part that has not even been installed yet.
An open engine bay.
“What is that?”
“Why does it go there?”
“What would happen if you changed it?”
I can spend a surprisingly long time just thinking about things like that.
Maybe that is why the video I saw on social media that day made me laugh.
A white Supra pulled alongside.
Someone inside the other car noticed it and shouted:
“Is That a SUPRA?”
Then came the countdown.
And a moment later, the Supra disappeared into the distance.
Now, I think I understand it just a little better than I did then.
Why car enthusiasts around the world can see that one car and immediately get excited.
And why watching it made me laugh too.
Sometimes, simply looking at something you love is enough to make it interesting.
For me, that is what cars are.
Japanese Words & Cultural Notes
People Behind Japan’s Tuning Culture
永田和彦 ➠ Kazuhiko “Smokey” Nagata
Founder of Top Secret and one of the best-known figures in Japanese tuning culture. Based in Chiba Prefecture, his name became closely associated with extreme high-speed builds, particularly heavily modified Supras, and a relentless pursuit of speed.
加藤 渉 ➠ Wataru Kato
Founder of Liberty Walk. Based in Aichi Prefecture, Kato helped bring Liberty Walk’s bold interpretation of Japan’s works-style custom-car culture to an international audience, transforming everything from Lamborghinis to Ferraris.
雨宮勇美 ➠ Isami Amemiya
Founder of RE Amemiya and one of the names most closely associated with Mazda rotary tuning in Japan. Based in Chiba Prefecture, Amemiya and RE Amemiya have spent decades exploring the possibilities of rotary-powered cars, particularly the RX-7.
Japanese Car Culture & Terms
街道レーサー ➠ Kaido Racer
A distinctive style of Japanese modified car with roots in the Shōwa era. Its exaggerated bodywork, wide fenders, low stance, and racing-inspired appearance became part of Japan’s unique custom-car culture.
ワークスフェンダー ➠ Works-style Overfenders
Large, visibly attached overfenders inspired by racing and older Japanese modified-car styles. Liberty Walk brought a modern interpretation of this look to high-end cars and supercars around the world.
東京オートサロン ➠ Tokyo Auto Salon
One of Japan’s major annual automotive events, with a strong focus on tuned and customized cars, aftermarket parts, builders, and new custom-car projects.
Places in Japan
千葉県 ➠ Chiba Prefecture
Located next to Tokyo and home to both Top Secret and RE Amemiya—two of the best-known names in Japanese tuning culture.
愛知県 ➠ Aichi Prefecture
Located in central Japan and home to Liberty Walk. Aichi is also one of the regions most strongly associated with Japan’s automotive industry.
Sources
Toyota — Vehicle Lineage: Supra
https://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60006850/
Toyota Automobile Museum — Toyota Supra JZA80
https://toyota-automobile-museum.jp/en/archives/car-database/detail.html?id=188
Bugatti — Chiron 0–400–0 km/h Record
https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/0-400-0-km-h-in-42-seconds-bugatti-chiron-sets-world-record
Top Gear — Meet the Man Who Attempted 200 mph on a British Motorway
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/modified/meet-man-who-attempted-200mph-a-british-motorway
Top Secret — Company History
https://topsecret-jpn.com/about/
Liberty Walk — History
https://libertywalk.co.jp/history-en/
Tokyo Auto Salon — LB☆WORKS F40, 2023 Custom Car Contest
https://www.tokyoautosalon.jp/2023/contest/grandprix.php.html
Suzuki — Jimny Official Information
https://www.globalsuzuki.com/automobile/lineup/jimny/
FIA — World Rally Champions and Tommi Mäkinen
https://www.fia.com/news/world-rally-champions-inducted-fia-hall-fame
Mazda — History of the Third-Generation RX-7
https://www.mazda.com/en/about/history/1990-1999/
SUPER GT — Championship History
https://supergt.net/about-super-gt/history?history_years=2005_2009
Tokyo Auto Salon — THE SEC”RE”T 7, 2026 Grand Prix
https://www.tokyoautosalon.jp/2026/contest/grandprix/
Read the Japanese version:
https://note.com/nagi_from_japan/n/n0fa634e26f33
Note: This article is based on the author's own experiences and memories. Generative AI was used to assist with parts of the structure, research, and editing, and the author reviewed and revised the final text. The header image was also created using generative AI.
