We were disturbed to hear the famous Supra belonging to gearhead model/host Jess Barton was stolen last week in Florida. Now we are sad to report the car appears to have been stripped of all the go-fast parts that made it an 8-second quarter-mile monster. There's now a $6,000 reward for info leading to the capture of those involved and the return of the parts.
A clearly upset Barton wrote on Instagram that "Someones [sic] gonna fucking die."
Barton's 1,200-horsepower Supra was stolen in Waterford, Florida in the early morning hours last Wednesday. Given all the time, money, and effort put into the car they initially offered a $5,000 reward for its return. Sadly, this photo shows what became of the eight-year project.
The car has become famous recently not just for its insane speed but also because of the owner, who is a watiress at Dancers Royale in Orlando and models in car-related shoots with her sister Jenn. She also co-starred as a stripper in the film Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Clearly, the loss was devastating as she commented in another Instagram post:
"Guess it time to get back to work at#dancersroyale ! Whose gonna come in to cheer me up? I need a lot of shots and some big tips to make up for my loss. Dont laugh if i cry on and off though. Thats been pretty normal for me right now!"
Tuner cars like these are hard to assign a value to because, beyond the expensive parts, there's a deep emotional connection between the builder and the vehicle.
"The car has been evolving over eight years and hundreds of thousands probably invested in it," Barton told Yahoo! Autos. "I could never just build another one. It's impossible to do all this again. It's a devastating loss to me."
The Supra fans over on Supra Forums are looking for the valuable parts on Craigslist and there's now a $6,000 reward for info.
Here's some more info from another post:
Few mods to list for u guys: Tilton clutch which theu dont make anymoe, precision 88/91 only a few out there right now, penske suspension that like no street supra runs, stock modded intake mani, very nice harness by Darin, and a good looking nitrous direct port set up.
If you see or hear anything Barton wants you to contact DoubleDTuning@gmail.com.
(UPDATE: A commenter says Barton is a "waitress" at Dancers Royale, she was initially identified as a dancer.)
(Thanks to everyone for the tip)