The Top Secret Toyota Supra isn’t famous just because of its V12 engine. It is Nagata’s street antics that made him and his company so notorious in enthusiast circles. Namely, for the first 200+ mph run, Smokey took his second RB26DETT Supra to the U.K. and decided to utilize the A1(M) public highway to reach that speed.
It was early morning when Smokey Nagata parked his Supra on the almost empty highway and started doing his customary tire shredding. After heating the tires sufficiently, he went for it. There was an issue, though –- it had rained. However, Nagata was determined, and according to his measurements, he reached 194 mph before slowing down.
Nagata also brought a team and recorded the run with the idea of using it as a PR stunt. Boy, did it work -– Nagata and his Top Secret tuning studio quickly gained a cult following among auto enthusiasts. The fact that law enforcement caught him doing 120 mph just spiced up things. As a result, he was banned from the U.K. for 10 years, received a £155 fine plus £35 court fees, and got a one-month suspension on his international driver’s license.
Although Nagata admits the run was morally wrong, he continued to use public roads to test the top speed of his creations. Notably, he frequently used Tokyo Bay’s Aqua-Line tunnel to bring many of his cars beyond 200 mph.
