An accused drug lord’s rare 1998 Toyota Supra sports car has been auctioned for a jaw-dropping $308,725, setting a record sales figure for the model made famous by the “Fast and Furious” film franchise.
The cunning coupe had several coveted traits: only 22,962 miles on the odometer, a six-speed manual transmission (instead of the standard four-speed automatic), and being one of only 24 vehicles boasting quicksilver paint.
The high bid was $265,000, but the auction house handling the sale charges an additional 15% buyer’s premium.
The vehicle was among 29 collectible cars seized by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts during its 2020 investigation of a massive marijuana ring, authorities said. Thirteen of the vehicles are Supras, the prosecutor’s office said.
Cory Taylor, the alleged leader of the trafficking syndicate, had been arrested on August 21, 2020 after police found 138 pounds of pot in a van he was driving. He was bailed out the same day and disappeared, police said.
One day after Taylor posted bail, investigators stormed a converted fire house he owned and seized more than $4 million in cash, 188 pounds of marijuana, 24 illegal guns, and eight vintage cars, authorities said.
A search of property owned by Taylor’s mother contained 37 cars valued at more than $1 million, investigators said.
Two months later, Taylor’s badly decomposed body was discovered in an abandoned warehouse. His cause of death was not publicly released. At the time, police said they did not suspect foul play.
Last week’s Supra sale is the highest amount ever paid for a privately owned model.
For perspective, in 1998, Toyota charged $39,198 for the turbocharged Supra.
Its value has skyrocketed after being featuring in “Fast and Furious” films.
Last year, the actual Supra used in the original movie, and its first sequel, sold for $550,000 at a Las Vegas auction.