- a toyota dealer in alabama has a used 2020 toyota supra launch edition listed, claiming only 182 miles on the odometer.
- the "no haggle price" listed: $167,000, compared with the list price from toyota of $56,205 when new.
- the general manager told c/d the launch edition supra belongs to the dealership's owner and is priced based on supra scarcity in the southeast, as well as demand for the sports car from customers. (it's also surely a bid for attention, but that goes without saying.)
we noticed that bill penney toyota in huntsville, alabama, is selling a used 2020 toyota supra launch edition for 167 big ones, according to the dealership website. the listed example is finished in white and features the standard black wheels, red mirror caps, and red leather interior that go with the launch edition model. that asking price is just a smidge under three times the original price of the car.
you might remember that we encountered a similar situation with a dodge challenger srt demon in late august that was being sold for $165,000, around twice the original sticker for the demon. in both cases, the cars being sold were part of limited production runs: 1500 for the supra launch edition and 3000 for the demon. (on october 30, we checked in with the dealer, larry roesch chrysler jeep dodge, and the demon is still for sale and the price is still firm.)
for those of you who have been incommunicado and out of the loop, the supra has captivated the automotive world and has outperformed its sibling, the bmw z4 convertible. we had the opportunity to test one, and it ran from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and to 100 mph in only 9.5. we also took a supra to the dyno, which confirmed our suspicion that toyota’s claim of 335 horsepower was slightly conservative; the turbocharged inline-six produces a good deal more than that. we also had the opportunity to take the supra out to virginia international raceway this may for c/d's annual lightning lap, where it put down a solid lap time of 3:01.4.
each launch edition supra has special badging on the inside denoting its number in the production run of 1500. there weren't any special vins except on the first one, which was sold in a charity auction for $2.1 million. we then presumed that it might be the color that makes this car special, but the color breakdown for all launch editions was approximately one-third for each of the three colors, black, red, and white. the only thing special about the black and white paint jobs are red-colored mirror caps and a red leather interior. the red interior color won’t be available on a supra again, making those approximately 1000 cars special in that regard. red launch editions make do with exterior color mirror caps and a black leather interior. all launch editions came with black wheels, too, which won’t be offered on future supras. these small details don't add to the performance of the car, and mechanically the launch editions are the same as every other 2020 supra out there.
unable to come up with a reason as to why someone would charge such an exorbitant price for a used car with 182 miles on the odometer—besides a bid for attention (which we admit has succeeded)—we called bill penney toyota to ask. dealership general manager hunter johnson said the dealership's owner bought the supra and is the one selling it. he's basing his asking price on two factors: a limited supply of supras and the exclusivity of the launch edition. he explained that the southeast dealership region—the carolinas, florida, georgia, and alabama—is allocated only around 10 supras per month of varying trims. johnson told us, "we've had people pay 10 to 15 grand over sticker just to have a supra, and we're not complaining. one guy is willing to pay over sticker for a premium [trim level] and is ready to put down a deposit, but we just don't have one we can sell to him."
bill penney toyota has sold four supras so far; well, five, if you count the launch edition that the owner bought. apparently all 1200-ish toyota dealers in the country got one launch edition model and would be given another if they sold their supras, which bill penney toyota has. they've done well enough to have been allotted another launch edition, which they will have in the next week or so.
as far as the white one that's the subject of this article? that price is firm, said johnson. an offer for $120,000 has come in from california, but no dice, he said. we can only respect the hustle.