Is That a Supra?

About

Is That a Supra is a popular catchphrase that references the Is This a Supra viral video. In the video, employees of a carwash express exaggerated shock over a Toyota Supra automobile. Following the spread of the video, others would use the expression "is that a Supra" as a catchphrase to describe objects that were not the car in question.

Origin

On April 25th, 2018, an employee of the Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland, Florida posted the video on Snapchat. In the video, the camera person repeatedly points out the presence of a Toyota Supra to other employees, who express shock and disbelief. Weeks later, on May 11th, the YouTube account ViralHog shared the video, receiving more than 38,000 views in less than three years (shown below).

In the description for the video, ViralHog included a statement from the video creator. It reads:

It was a slow day at Rising Tide Car Wash, and I decided to make a video for Snapchat. So I gathered everyone that was around me and delegated roles for them to perform. It was just a crazy idea at first, and they went with it.

Spread

Additionally, on May 11th, 2018, another YouTube^[1] account would increase the video's spread significantly. That day, YouTuber Joe Shaman shared the clip and received more than 7 million views in less than three years.

The catchphrase found its way to other videos, with people posting videos of themselves screaming the line at other cars, particularly Supras. For example, on August 12th, 2018, YouTuber Burty k posted a video of car passengers yelling the line at a passing Supra on the highway. The post received more than 282,000 views in less than three years (shown below, left).

Other characters from the original video soon became memes as well. Later that year, on December 20th, YouTuber Sleempy posted a greenscreen template of the man in the video who sprays cleaner on his glasses. The post received more than 100,000 views in less than three years (shown below, left).

The trend also found its place on TikTok, where the hashtag #isthatasupra has more than 115 million views.^[2] On July 18th, 2000, TikTok34 cabano.cars posted video in which a man yells "Supra" at the car. They requested that others use the sound when they see Supras. The post received more than 240,000 reactions in less than one year (shown below).

On March 21st, 2021, Redditor No_Cut6590 asked the /r/OutOfTheLoop^[3] subreddit about the meme. Redditor stayawayfromthealien responded by explaining why the Supra was such a popular car, writing that the resale value of the model increased after many realized how rare they were. The high-price of the car made them even rarer, which is why the reaction became so common. The Redditor also explained in more detail why the car was so popular. They wrote:

They feature the “2JZ” engine that Toyota doesn’t really make an equivalent anymore; people like them for their tuning capability and durability
The Supra was heavily featured in mid 2000s car culture (magazines, movies, video games) and blew up further when it was featured in the Fast and Furious film series
Keep in mind that it was no cheap car, it was luxury grand tourer money back in its heyday (think 50k in today’s money / basically a 5th generation supra)

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References