When the first installment of The Fast and the Furious film series debuted on June 22, 2001, it made its mark in Hollywood history by raking in the biggest earnings during its opening weekend. Twenty years later, the franchise has released nine films. Despite the vast, yet impressive, lineup of cars featured across the action-packed franchise, none of them is more legendary than the car that currently boasts cult status — Paul Walker's orange Supra.
Although Paul Walker's untimely death immortalized the franchise, the instantly-recognizable orange Supra that stole the show carried on his memory to become one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. Undoubtedly, the Toyota Supra's action scenes remain engrained in the memories of film enthusiasts and gearheads to date. As we commemorate an incredible milestone in the orange Supra's history, here are a few facts you probably didn't know about this iconic movie car.
10 The Legendary Supra Popularized The MK4 Generation
After three uneventful Supra generations, Toyota finally got things right and produced arguably the best Supra generation yet. The MK4 Supra, or the A80, arrived with the legendary 2JZ-GE powertrains that made these sports cars the fastest of the four generations.
Unfortunately, the MK4 was also the least commercially successful, triggering Toyota to end Supra production. However, fortunes changed after the Supra MK4's starring role in the thrilling film. In the years that followed, the fourth-generation Supra's Hollywood fame and unbreakable engine made it a coveted collectible whose value and demand keep increasing to date.
9 The Orange Supra Fueled A Cultural Revolution
From the numerous scenes in the film, anyone with a keen eye could see that Paul Walker's Supra had everything going for it; excellent bodywork, fantastic paint job, unique livery, impressive interior, engine mods, and of course, blistering speed. It stood as a strong representation of everything a gearhead could ask of a tuner car.
Tuner culture was viral in the '90s, but the Orange Supra was pivotal in fueling it further beyond the decade. And despite some far-fetched moments in the films, a generation of drivers grew up watching these films, and car culture has not been the same.
8 Craig Lieberman Owned The Original Orange Supra
Craig Lieberman is relatively unknown, considering he was the Technical Advisor behind the scenes of the first two Fast and Furious films. Interestingly, Craig Lieberman also owned multiple cars featured in the movies, including the iconic Orange Supra.
Lieberman purchased the 1994 Supra for a reported $24,000, which featured a factory twin-turbo, a Targa roof, and a six-speed manual. Relying on his knowledge from tinkering with cars since the 1980s, Lieberman gradually tuned the Supra's performance and aesthetics over several years before it finally landed on the set.
7 The Supra Won Car Shows Before Starring In The Film
Besides Hollywood fame, the Supra had previously enjoyed some off-screen success. Immediately after the initial purchase, Craig Lieberman equipped the Supra with basic performance upgrades that included injectors, new piping, a new front mount intercooler, and a full Greddy power extreme exhaust system that boosted its power to 450hp.
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Other upgrades included a Mazda RX-7 Competition Yellow candy paint job, a yellow roll cage, a Duane Uyeda-designed sound system, a Rob Mellon rear wing, and 18-inch OZ wheels. Lieberman later took the Supra to several shows, where it did pretty well and won many awards, including the first Sports Compact Car Ultimate Street Car Challenge.
6 The First Film Used Seven Clone Supras
Sometimes, actors and actresses in action films require qualified and experienced stunt doubles to step in for the complex scenes. The same concept applies to movie cars to ensure the hero car is not damaged during the shoot or to have a backup just in case it does.
For The Fast and the Furious, as highlighted by AutoEvolution, the crew had seven replicas of the Orange Supra for various roles throughout the film. One was the backup hero car, three were utilized as stunt cars, one served as a "buck car" for the green or blue screen scenes, one was a process car for the repair shop scene, and the last one was the burned-out model that arrived on the tow truck.
5 The Hero Supra Was The Only One With Engine Mods
Craig Lieberman's modifications to the Supra included replacing the stock twin-turbos with a single T66 that delivered 650hp on tap. Other engine mods included several HKS electronic parts such as an HKS Graphic Control Computer, Vein Pressure Converter, F-Con, injector pulse monitor, and a Greddy turbo timer.
Since the movie scenes did not require exposing the engine parts or delivering exceptional performance, the replica Supras did not receive similar engine upgrades. Furthermore, the hero Supra was the only model with a turbo and a manual transmission
4 The Hero Supra Car Is In The Netherlands
After the shoot, Craig Lieberman hung on to the Orange Supra for about a year before receiving an offer he couldn't refuse. The sale of the movie car netted him a profit of about $185,000, a handsome return at the time, considering the extensive modifications he had funded from his pocket.
According to Lieberman, the hero car resides in the Netherlands, and the owner hasn't changed anything on it. The current owner has kept the highly-coveted Supra in his private collection over the years, with no plans to sell just yet. Besides the borrowed models, the other replica Supras suffered different fates after the first movie.
3 The Supras Got Repurposed For The Sequel
The three Supra stunt cars and the "buck car" were kept in storage for a while until Universal Studios repurposed and reused them for the sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious. The four Supras received a complete makeover, including a TRD-style widebody kit, different wheels, and an interior overhaul.
Other modifications included custom audio systems, custom-designed roll cages, white face gauges, and white dials, courtesy of Eddie Paul at The Shark Shop in El Segundo, California. In 2 Fast 2 Furious, the Supra notably became Slap Jack's car. After the movie, the Supra was restored to the original TFATF configuration.
2 Numerous Fan-Made Paul Walker Tributes
Paul Walker's Orange Supra has inspired several generations, and a cult has eventually grown from the widespread admiration. Besides the Fast and Furious movie set replicas, many gearheads and fans in different parts of the planet have made custom interpretations of the famous movie car.
From Supra MK4s to new-generation Supras, fans have paid homage to Paul Walker through Orange paint jobs, and impressively-designed tribute car wraps. Craig Lieberman is also nostalgic about his original Supra, and he is currently trying to build a tribute MK4 with the original specifications and modifications.
1 The Paul Walker Supra Recently Sold For $550K
In 2015, one of the stunt Supras that belonged to Mark Anton sold for $185,000 at auction, including buyer's fees. Six years later, another stunt Supra sold for a whopping $550,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas. This Supra was designated as the Stunt 1 car, and unlike other stunt cars in the film, it bears significant provenance since Paul Walker personally drove it in several movie scenes.
The Stunt 1 Supra was mainly utilized for interior and exterior shots of stunts, meaning it's the second-best Supra from the movie and arguably the closest replica to the hero Supra. Considering it was also featured in the movie sequel, the Supra was well worth the hefty price tag.