Tiger Woods has a colorful and complicated relationship with cars.
For the early part of his career, he had a strong association with Buick, thanks to a General Motors endorsement deal that reportedly banked him $7 million a year. When, in 2001, the automaker began promoting its sleek Buick Bengal, Woods appeared in ads for the concept car (which never made it to production) with the tagline “Two Cool Cats.”
Woods’ personal car collection over the years has included a Lamborghini Murciélago, the last model of which was produced in 2011, and a Porsche Carrera. Of the Porsche, Wright Thompson wrote for ESPN in 2016: “One of the first times he got behind the wheel, the powerful car got away from him, spinning off into the grass near his house. He took it back to the dealership.”
Woods also has owned a 400-horsepower Cadillac Escalade and a luxurious Mercedes S65; he was behind the wheel of those two vehicles, respectively, in his infamous 2009 Thanksgiving-night accident and when police charged him with a DUI in 2017.
But what about Woods’ first car?
On a just-released episode of Another Golf Podcast, which is presented by Bridgestone, one of Woods’ sponsors, Woods was asked a series of rapid-fire questions, such as his favorite college class (Econ 101); favorite meal (Porterhouse with Lyonnaise potatoes); and whether he preferred to text or use FaceTime. (“Oh, text,” he said, laughing. “I don’t want to talk anyone.”)
Woods also was asked about his first set of wheels, and he didn’t miss a beat.
“1988 navy Toyota Supra,” he said. “Now hold on, I’ll tell you an even better story. With some of my gaming earnings — by putting and playing skins — I was able to afford a bass tube in the back. Oh yeah, I was thumping down the road.”
If you’re delighted by the image of young Tiger rolling into the parking lot of a Southern California course — with music pulsating and car windows shaking — you’re likely not alone.
Also, you should know that the ’88 Supra — Latin for “to surpass” or “go beyond” — wasn’t exactly a hand-me-down Corolla. Toyota built only 500 Supras that year, with the option for a Turbo version that could go from 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds. Woods didn’t say whether he bought the car new or used, but the sticker price for the ’88 model was between $21,000 and $24,000.
Not unlike Woods’ game, the car sat at the intersection of power and style.
“Peering inside the 1988 Toyota Supra,” Alysha Belshaw wrote for hotcars.com, “you’d be met with luxury and a modern feel. Premium quality leather covered the sports-like seats, with tons of space to hand and a clear, visible dashboard. This exciting motor came with a modern air-conditioning unit and digital audio system, which were two highly desirable features in the 1980s.”
Impressive! Maybe Woods should have signed with Toyota.
