Nathan Thellman 1991 Toyota Supra TTR
This third-generation Toyota Supra began its life on the production line based in Kobe, Japan. After many years strolling the streets and accumulating kilometers, it was imported to the United States by Japanese Classics, an importing company based in Richmond, VA. For a while, the car was for sale. Enter Jared Pink, a popular car-based YouTuber who runs the channel “The Questionable Garage,” who had purchased the car. Across a number of videos, several modifications were made to the car during Pink’s ownership. One of these is a “dog box transmission” swap. A dog box transmission is a type of manual transmission often seen in higher-performance cars. The main difference between a standard manual and a dog box is that dog boxes don’t have synchronizers. Syncros are components that match gear speeds before engagement. This makes shifting gears smoother. In a dog box, they have different dog rings that engage the gears more quickly, more directly, and more aggressively. The dog box system is more suited for fast-paced, high-intensity driving at the cost of smoothness and comfort. After a while, Pink decided to advertise the car as for sale.
Thellman, the current owner, fell in love with the Twin Turbo R (TTR) line of Supras from the video game Gran Turismo 1 on his PlayStation. “This was the first car I bought in that game and the same color. I beat every race I could with it.” Seeing this car for sale, he immediately sold his Ford Focus RS to obtain the money for this magnificent car. The next gap between Thellman and his future Supra was geographic. Thellman was in Ohio, and the Supra was in Georgia, thousands of miles away. A flight ticket was bought, and a white Mk5 Toyota Supra picked up Thellman, who was then driven to the shop’s location where a YouTube video featuring Thellman was made. It was a great day now that this car had another passionate owner. It was then driven to North Carolina for Thellman’s father’s event. Days later, the car was finally home here in Ohio. Since then, Thellman has been purchasing and importing parts from Japan to create an era-correct 90s build for this Supra.
These cars from the factory came with a fuel-injected 2.5L twin-turbocharged inline-6 1JZ-GTE Toyota engine. They produce around 280 horsepower at 6200 RPM, but this one, according to its last dyno session, pushed 400 HP. It came off the line with a 5-speed R154 manual transmission gearbox, which powered the rear wheels.
This car has undergone significant mechanical modifications and is set to receive many more. As stated before, this car has been fitted with a Dog Box R154 transmission. The stopping power has been enhanced with existing and custom fabrication, thanks to the Mitsubishi Evolution VIII front and rear calipers and custom front brackets. With the new calipers, the car has been fitted with Nissan 350Z front rotors and 2006 Subaru WRX STI rear rotors. There are also period-correct modifications to solidify the classic feel of this car, including a period-correct HKS blow-off valve and a Fluidyne high-performance radiator. The suspension wasn’t left untouched and has been fitted with Tokico shocks and Eibach hardened springs. Additional support items for this car include the Fluidampr crankshaft pulley, Whiteline front sway bars, and matching rear sway bars. It also has Super Pro end links attached to those. There’s even more brake support with the aftermarket steel brake lines.
Unlike many cars that undergo respray paint jobs or wraps in their lifetime, this car has maintained its factory Green Mica 6N0 paint. This color was uncommon across A70 (third-generation chassis code) Supras, especially TTR trims. This beast takes Ohio turns with ease, with a classic look thanks to the Triforce, Legend of Zelda design-inspired wheels. The bronze finish and tri-spoke design are 18x9 with a +35mm offset in the front and 18x10 with a +35mm offset in the rear for a subtle staggered setup. Inside the cockpit is a Stillway gated shifter. Gated shifters are an excellent option to pair with his dog box transmission. Anyone who has driven a manual transmission is familiar with a technique widely known in the car community as "money shifting." It earned its name "money shifting" because when your transmission blows up or a piston head launches through the hood of your car, it tends to cost a lot of money to repair. Gated shifters solve this problem by using mechanical block-offs with pins when shifting gears. Thus, it is impossible to go into a lower gear when shifting rapidly. Coupled with a dog box, which allows the driver to skip the clutch and slam into ascending gears, it makes for very safe and very fast shifting. All the while, the driver can sit comfortably in aftermarket Recaro driver and passenger seats. The steering wheel has been replaced with a high-quality Momo brand steering wheel. What pairs perfectly with a fast and comfortable cruise? Of course, the sound system has also received minor upgrades with modern speakers in the doors and a smart Android head unit.
This car has undergone extreme changes and has a very bright future ahead. Thellman is proud of the work that has been done to this car. As of writing, about two weeks ago, Thellman removed the differential and transmission to seal them. He credits “Wingman DIY Garage” for being a space where he can do most of the work in a local shop and safe environment. He stated, “I went from never turning a wrench in my life last year to doing insane jobs like replacing the rear main seal, clutch, and sealing my trans and diff, among many other tasks, because of my experience at Wingman Garage.” He also looks forward to a few packages in the mail. Thellman has ordered and is expecting a period-correct set of HKS twin turbochargers as well as an HKS aftermarket exhaust. The top end of the engine will receive some love as well with upgraded HKS 272 camshafts. He has already received a replacement tuned ECU, ready to be installed. Thellman aims for 500-600 HP with this car. He closed his statements with, “After that, the build will be done, except maybe paint down the line.”
We look forward to following this car and its progress. Huge thanks to Nate Thellman for allowing us to spend some time with his car and for filling out our Vehicle Info Form for the write-up. It was a blast to shoot; the photos came out amazing, and we hope for a strong future and relationship with Thellman.
