Jessica Koellner 1987 Toyota Supra
Toyota Origins
The third-generation Toyota Supra is an amazing platform in terms of power capabilities and versatility. Many people build their Supras for various reasons. Some aim for era-correct time capsules, while others are looking for drag strip demons. This Supra was built to be a powerful drifting champion.
But this story begins long before 2024. Let’s go back to 1978, the year the first Toyota Supra was created—the A40 generation. The design concept of the Supra was a more luxurious and sportier take on the Toyota Celica, a car that had already been around the block a few times before the Supra's introduction. It had a slightly longer wheelbase than the Celica and came with an inline-6 engine. The goal was to compete with cars like the Datsun 240Z and the second-generation FB Mazda RX-7. However, Toyota was more ambitious than just competing with other Japanese cars. They aimed to rival the famed American muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang while still staying relevant and popular among the growing Japanese sports car audience.
Eventually, through the second (A60) and third generation (A70) of the Toyota Supra, it grew its identity as more than just a variant of the Celica. By the time the third-generation Supra came to market in 1986, it was built on a completely different platform and chassis compared to other Toyota models. This showed Toyota's dedication to making a serious name for itself in the sports car world.
J. Koellner Era
This brings us to where this car is currently. Koellner found this car through a trade for an older car she owned. At 16, Koellner posted her Lexus for sale or trade. Eventually, she struck a deal with two men in Michigan who were focused on turning this into a fun power build. With cash on her end, she ended up with this Mk3 Toyota Supra in her hands.
Koellner stated, "…at the time, I didn’t have any idea about anything besides playing Minecraft and hanging out with my friends…"
Because of this, the car received little attention during that time, but at 17, Koellner started to take more interest in the car and used transferable skills from working on her other car. From there, it was a snowball effect of motivation to make this car something special. Then Koellner turned 18 and finished high school. Besides the pride of finishing her education, she also carried the pride of rebuilding her project Supra.
"This car was way harder to do than it should have been because I kept making mistakes and had to fix them since it was my first actual build and I had to learn a lot as I went."
The Guts
This ‘87 Supra comes with a ‘88 7MGTE Toyota motor. Off the production line, this 2.9L inline-6 puts out around 230 horsepower to the rear wheels. Its current power numbers are unknown. Out of the factory, they come turbocharged with a modest 7 pounds of boost. Fortunately, this one has been gracefully upgraded to a 67mm turbocharger with motor support assisted by ARP hardware. The car has loads of modified tech as well, thanks to an AEM-branded ECU, wiring harness, boost controller, fuel pump, wideband, and air-fuel-ratio gauges. This beast has no trouble consuming gas with the TNK fuel regulator, E85-safe fuel lines, and larger fuel injectors. Fuel isn’t the only important thing a car needs to be fed—air is also essential to keeping these cars running. The cooling in this car has been thankfully upgraded with a Davies Fan digital controller unit, two high-output electronic fans, recently replaced OEM coolant hoses, and a custom tubular stainless steel manifold.
“Way too many parts to list. I have a whole actual binder of receipts for the things I have bought for the car.”
Lastly, under the hood, there are stainless steel braided turbo oil lines and custom fittings. There is also a custom-fabricated wastegate and teardrop hood exit done by Josh from Tbells.
True Art
On the outside, this car is as scary as it sounds. It’s got OEM Toyota Metallic Blue paint and no window tint. There are no aftermarket body kits, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely OEM. The bumper has been replaced with a custom-fabricated bash bar done by Elliot Rose of Rose Motorsport. This car rides on a full set of Hankook V12 EVO2 tires, with 225mm tires in the front and 235mm tires in the rear. Inside the cockpit of this rocket is a Cube short-throw gear shifter, a halo Momo driver seat, and an NRG Innovations seat in the passenger side, both of which sit on custom brackets.
“I also have a 6-point harness and no seatbelt for the passenger because they can just hold on, idk.”
The steering wheel has also seen significant changes thanks to an NRG Innovations quick release and hub adapter, with an aftermarket NRG Innovations leather steering wheel. All the modifications aside, it would be wrong to say nothing on this car remains factory. Inside, there is an OEM dashboard, gauge cluster, carpet, and rear seats.
So What’s Next?
This car and its driver have received much-deserved praise. It has been featured on ECS Tuning’s official Instagram page after Koellner attended their Turbos and Tacos event. During the Halloween season of 2023, Koellner dressed up the Supra and handed out candy, attended trunk-or-treat meets, and let kids sit in the car. She hopes her car inspires kids to build something cool and have something to show off. To do this, she does her best to attend any local shows and events to share her passion for cars.
For the future, Koellner has plans to change a few minor things, like getting new fenders made for the car, possibly a new paint job, and a different wheel setup. By changing enough small things, she hopes to make this car truly hers!
