If you’d like to know how your Dad felt looking at the fourth-gen Supra début, check out this camcorder footage from 1993 for a real deal blast from the past.

By 1993, specifically around the time the footage you’re about to see was filmed, the Toyota Supra was all but ready for production and people already knew that the MKIV Toyota Supra was going to hit dealership floors soon enough. That doesn’t make this footage any less special. The Toyota Supra registry just dug up and uploaded this VHS footage from the 1993 New York International Auto Show showing Toyota’s booth and its soon to be on-sale MKIV Toyota Supra, heralding in a new era of Toyota Performance. Check out the footage for yourself below.

The footage is rather short but you do get to see, through the eyes of an early 90’s camcorder, what people saw back then. Compared to the MKIII Supra, the new Supra was a softer evolution of what the Supra was. Sure, it had more power, but supposedly fans of the marquee didn’t particularly like the new looks.

But, compared to back then, with 90’s Toyota presumably flush with cash to develop such a barnstormer of a coupe, this was 100 percent a Toyota developed product. Say what you want about its looks, it was quintessential JDM from bumper to bumper.

Just imagine yourself behind the camera in a time when all the press you got about upcoming cars came from the weekly Motorweek on TV, a couple of segments interspersed with the news, from a handful of magazines, maybe a column or two from your favorite local rag and by good ol’ word of mouth. You’ve heard about Toyota cooking up something hot for 1993 and now, here it is, one of 20 prototypes right before your eyes. Whatever opinion you’ve formed might’ve been shaped by a handful of journalists, but for the most part, it’s just you, the Supra, and your unadulterated first impression. Sounds like a pretty peaceful way to be introduced to a car, right?

Compare that to how we found out about the MKV Supra, years of online rumors, spy shots circulated around social media, takes from dozens of journalists all at one time (yours truly included) and so much hate thrown its way due to a BMW collab. By the time you actually get to see one at an auto show, dare I say you’re a bit jaded about it already?

Auto shows back then were events average car buyers looked forward too. I won’t read this article yet, I’ll wait to see it for myself at the Auto show. Can you imagine when they did form their opinion about the 1993 Toyota Supra, they had no one to immediately share it with except for maybe their friend right next to them?

Source: The Supra Registry