Smokey Nagata's Top Secret Gold Supra

Masashi "Smokey" Nagata is the founder of Top Secret, Japan's most legendary Supra tuner. His personal Gold Supra MK4 is one of the most famous tuned cars in automotive history. In 2001, Nagata achieved 197 mph (317 km/h) on a public British M-road in this car — a record that made international headlines and cemented Top Secret's reputation as the shop that could take a Supra to speeds most supercars couldn't touch.

The 197 MPH Run

In 2001, Nagata took his Gold Supra to the UK and drove it at 197 mph on a public M-road between Hull and London. The run was filmed by a production crew and briefly shown on national TV in the UK. Nagata was arrested and deported following the run, but the footage made Top Secret globally famous.

The Supra's specifications at the time of the run:

• Engine: Heavily tuned 2JZ-GTE with twin-turbo upgrade
• Output: ~900+ hp
• Transmission: Sequential gearbox
• Chassis: Fully tuned with aero package
• Body: Gold paint with Top Secret livery

The 197 mph figure was confirmed by Nagata's own data logger and verified by witnesses in the car.

Top Secret Background

Before the 197 mph run, Top Secret was already well-known in the Japanese tuning scene. Nagata had built multiple high-horsepower Supras, R34 GT-Rs, and NSXs. The Gold Supra was his personal project car, and it embodied the shop's philosophy: extreme power in a street-drivable package.

After the Run

The 197 mph run made Top Secret internationally famous. Orders for Top Secret parts and builds surged from Europe, the US, and Southeast Asia. The shop became one of the most exclusive tuning operations in Japan, with waiting lists of up to 2 years for custom builds.

The Gold Supra itself has been rebuilt multiple times over the years as Nagata pushed it to new heights. At its peak in the mid-2000s, it produced over 1,000 hp and achieved even higher top speeds on private test tracks.

Legacy

Smokey Nagata's Gold Supra is the most famous tuned car in the JDM community. It represents the peak of what a single tuner can achieve with a Toyota platform. The 197 mph run is still referenced today as the moment Japanese tuning culture went international.

For Supra enthusiasts, Top Secret's Gold Supra is essentially a religious object. It's the car that proved the 2JZ-GTE could handle anything, the car that made Nagata a global celebrity, and the car that every serious Supra tuner dreams of matching.