1995 JZX90 Toyota Chaser Tourer V

It was a hard decision to decide to sell this car... and based on how many cool cars that have flowed through Limerence, you know that means something significant.

It's challenging to put into words what it's like to own and drive an JZX80, 90, or 100 series car. It's a car completely at odds with any contemporary offering in 2023. Even domestically available cars of the late 90s and early 2000s struggle to match exactly the forward thinking design, smoothness, and power availability of the Chaser, Mark II, and Cresta. For those who don't know much about the cars, here's the short version of it.

Offered for the first time in 1977, the Chaser was a slight redesign of the Toyota Mark II (that's "Mark Two") which had been in production since 1968 where it was introduced as the "Corona Mark II", a slightly larger variant of the then-decade-old Corona. The Chaser would remain it's own design (albeit similar to the Mark II and Cresta), until the chassis of these three cars finally converged in 1984 with the X70 series. This shared chassis design would allow Toyota to develop more offerings and trims for all three of these vehicles, the main distinctions between them being styling choices. The X70 series even dipped it's toes into the Supra nameplate in 1988 by offering a special edition version of the Chaser called the "Avante Supra", which was intended as a 4-door version of the third generation Supra. An inline-six offering was available as early as 1980, but it wouldn't be until this X70 series that the ground work for Toyota's legendary turbo sixes would find it's way into the public's hands. First available in 1985, the Mark II, Cresta, and Chaser all received the "GT Twin Turbo" trim, featuring a 1998cc twin-turbo inline six, engine designation 1G-GTEU. This engine would be the spiritual predecessor for the 7M-GTE (offered in the Supra and Soarer) and, of course, the 1JZ and 2JZ series of motors.

In 1988, the X80 platform was introduced, and it's most powerful variant would finally feature the legendary JZ in the form of the 2.5L twin turbo 1JZ-GTE. Hugely popular in the growing sport of drifting in Japan, most X80 series cars would find their way out of the hands of the original salary-man owners and into the hands of enthusiasts, where an absolutely massive aftermarket would spring up in the following years.This legacy and aftermarket still continues to this day, and has really only begun (in the US, at least, Australia was way ahead of us on this one) as more X-chassis cars have made their way across the Pacific. Following the X80 would be the X90 and X100 series cars, both of which are very similar to each other, featuring a longer wheelbase and bigger body than the X80 series. The X90 series, as you see here, would continue to feature the twin-turbo 1JZ configuration. The only major evolution to come with the X100 chassis over the X90 would be the switch to a single turbo and the addition of VVT-i to the 1JZ-GTE offering. This gave the JZX100 more torque without breaking the 276 hp limit set by the Japanese government, but, in my opinion, took away the smoothness and refinement of the JZX90 series twin turbo offering.

Alright so, enough history. This brings us to the car you see before you: a dark green, perfectly intact and completely stock, JZX90 Toyota Chaser Tourer V. "Tourer V" is the nameplate that would replace the "GT twin-turbo" with the advent of the X90 series cars, but denotes the highest performance variant all the same. Rated at 276 hp, which is the highest allowed at the time by Japanese law, and has been subsequently shown to be significantly lower than what the car actually produces, this car is quick. Power delivery is smooth, predictable, and when you really get on it, the turbo spool is really something. A long-geared transmission and limited-slip differential translate power cleanly and efficiently, and with a good set of tires (currently equipped with new Michelin Pilot Sport 4s), this car is, by all definitions, a sleeper. Additionally, both the 1JZ and 2JZ motors have been shown to have incredible power overhead, making them very popular for modification. Adding only a single turbo, a larger front mounted intercooler, bigger injectors, and a tune, most JZs will make nearly double stock horsepower numbers without opening up the engine or even breaking a sweat.

What this means for you, dear future owner of this particular Chaser, is that, this car being bone-stock, low miles, and obviously well maintained, has a long future ahead of it with many more miles (or kilometers as it were) left to drive. Clocking in at a low ~135k km (83k miles) this car does not show its age at all. With the high power overhead never being stressed on this unmodified engine bay, the engine presents itself as it did off the showroom floor and will for many years to come.

Likewise unmodified, the interior sports all the original furnishings, including the original factory stereo with working CD player and tape deck. I can not understate how cool this is. Most Japanese cars of this age undergo a stereo refit at least once in their lives, but nothing here has been touched, and the faux wood paneling shines with only very minor wear showing in a few places and on a few buttons. Equipped with a fabric interior with only minor sagging on the driver's side seat bolster, everything is intact and comfortable. The factory Chaser-branded floor mats are present, the driver's side showing wear and minor discoloration in the pedal box. Air conditioning is factory R134a, so service is easy, and blows very cold. The only issue with the car that we've identified is the driver's side rear door lock actuator motor is weak, resulting in the door not unlocking or locking with the rest of the vehicle. It took me a month of driving the car to notice this, as I did not use the back seats often. If there is time to replace it, I will, and update the price accordingly.

What else do you want to know? The pictures really tell it all, so I leave you to peruse to your hearts content. Some minor imperfections are apparent in the original paint, but short of that, this is an example of a JZX90 Chaser that you (and very possibly we) will never see again. OH! I almost forgot to mention, this is a factory 5 speed manual, featuring the legendary R154 transmission which has been tried and true for Formula Drift builds, drag Supra builds, and heavy track duty. Arguably, this transmission is the most desirable that Toyota ever manufactured among the community, so, as long as you know how to use your left hand to shift, this transmission may just outlast everything else on the car.

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