Over the years, Toyota has produced many special models for its home market the likes of which were never seen in North America. One of those cars was the 1989 Toyota Soarer Turbo Aerocabin with a Targa-style folding roof and rear window, of which only 500 units were made exclusively for Japan, yet thanks to the 25-year import law, one of them has landed here in the States in Richmond, Virginia.
The strictly two-seater Soarer Aerocabon with the pickup truck-like proportions and square styling draws its power from the GT Limited’s 7MGTE, 3.0-liter twin cam turbo straight six with an output of 232hp at 5,600 rpm and 325N·m (240 lb-ft) linked to a four-speed automatic driving the rear wheels, which was the only transmission offered on this model.
For those of you who are familiar with Toyota’s engines, the same unit was used on the third generation Supra (1986-1992) coupe, with which the second generation Soarer (codenamed Z20 and made from 1986 through 1991) shared its platform. As mentioned by the seller, you can easily swap in a five-speed manual gearbox from the Supra. It’s worth mentioning that the third generation Soarer (Z30) that followed in 1991, was sold in North American as the Lexus SC coupe.
Back to the Soarer Turbo Aerocabin, this right-hand drive example that has been legally imported to the States has 82,600 miles (~132,900 km) on the odometer and is listed for sale at $9,995.
By John Halas
S Seller: Japanese Classics , Story References: Bringatrailer
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