Fulfilling a dream, one car at a time

Matt Gera’s love for cars, specifically a 1997 Toyota Supra, began in earnest when he was 12 years old. At the time, he carefully chose each component for his dream car: black, no sunroof, beefy wing. Now, he not only has the drifter, but also a trio of other cars he’s more than a little attached to.

It’s a collection years in the making, and as you can see in Around the Hood With KSL Cars, it’s one that has been well worth the effort to acquire. 

“When I was a kid,” Gera said, “this is all I wanted out of life. It’s what I thought about all the time. I loved cars and wanted to be able to afford the parts to build cars. My whole life revolved around that.”

First love

Gera bought his first car, a used 1997 Nissan 240SX, from “a very sketchy dealer” in his hometown of Tampa. It was “just in the back corner [of the lot], just kinda crammed in there.” He picked it up for $6,500, with help from his parents, and slowly turned it into a now prized possession.

Gera said, “I’ve had that car since I was 17. It’s what I put all my stuff in to take to college. It's what I took my wife in, on a first date. It’s what I drove to three jobs in high school, to try to get enough money to paint it — because it was all different colors. Just tons of memories with that car.”

Matt Gera's 1997 Nissan 240SX mostly sits in his garage today, but its been part of core memories. Photo by Chad Hurst

His wife, Allisson, vividly remembers one particular date. “We had just started dating, we’re going on a gym date,” she said. “This was the first time I really got an inkling of his hobby.

“I get out, I’m unpacking my stuff for a second and put my keys on the hood. And he just goes ‘Can you’ — he’s trying to find the words to be nice — ‘can you just get those keys off right away? Right now.’” 

They both laugh about it now. “It’s funny, knowing what I know now, I would never, ever do that. That one’s a big ol’ core memory.”

Hard to get

Gera’s now red Nissan 240SX has the Kouki front fascia with glass headlights — one of less than 6,000 made during model years ‘97-98. Even more unusual, his has a slicktop while most included targa tops. “This is kind of a theme with most of my cars. I like to find the rare ones.”

And there’s another, more practical, reason. A sunroof takes up just that much more room in a car, he said, making it too close for comfort with his 6-foot-4-inch frame. “Older Japanese cars weren’t meant for tall people. It’s just how they were built.”

Nowadays, it sits on a lift in Gera’s pristine garage. “This one, we don’t take it out anymore,” Allisson said. “That’s a prize possession. That’s a trophy.”

“It also has a lot of leaks,” Gera laughed. “My friends call it an artifact and say it’s in a museum, which is a little true.”

Search Nissan 240 models on KSL Cars →

Would you pay for the same car more than once? Photo by Chad Hurst

Third time’s the charm

Gera is a numbers guy; he does strategy analytics for Qualtrics. So, the idea of paying three separate times for his 2011 BMW M3 may seem a little out of character. But there’s a good reason.

“I always wanted one of these. I knew exactly how I wanted it, and it’s really hard to find it.” Basically, Gera was searching for a car that someone else had customized: no sunroof, no navigation in the carbon fiber dash and speed-cloth seats (cloth down the center, leather on the sides). “It’s rare someone does all those in one, and it’s kinda what the enthusiasts go for.” 

He got lucky. “It popped up for sale [at a dealership] in Salt Lake, and I left work right away. I went and bought it on the spot.” Even the $30K price didn't deter him. “I walked out, trying to play hard to get the first time, and [the salesperson] didn’t negotiate on price. And then I walked back in. I had to do the walk of shame,” he laughed. “I was stressed.”

Back for seconds

Gera said, “It’s the first nice car my wife and I bought together, and we daily drove it to work for a couple of years.” But then, he sold the BMW to a buddy who wanted to try it out. “I knew he’d take good care of it.”

Gera later bought it back. “Then when we bought [our] house, I wanted to be responsible, so I sold it. And then we redid the house, and every day I was so sad I sold that car.” This time, the buyer from KSL Cars was a stranger, and Gera had since lost the contact information. 

But he was determined. “I just started going around to BMW dealerships and was like, next time he gets it serviced, can you have him call me?” The owner eventually did. Gera said he offered to buy the car back, whenever they were ready to sell. 

“And he happened to be ready, so the timing worked out really, really well.” The car had over 40,000 more miles on it. “He drove it, which I really loved,” Gera said. “He let me buy it back —  [with] a little bit of an upcharge,” he laughed, “but rightfully so.”

Upgrades

“Some things that make this car really, really special is, it’s the last naturally aspirated M3 ever made [and] it’s a V8 — it revs really high,” Gera said. He made a few upgrades, but it didn’t need much. “These cars are phonememonal driver’s cars from the factory, so I didn’t want to touch too many things.

“But I did — you’ll see this theme on cars in my garage — suspension, wheels right away (I feel like it’s like getting a nice pair of shoes). Then, I did air intake so you can really hear the motor, especially when it gets up in the rev range. And that’s it. And really, I just enjoy driving it.”

Find BMW M3 listings on KSL Cars →

It was a dream come true when Gera acquired his 1997 Toyota Supra. Photo by Chad Hurst

Look, don’t touch

Now about that dream car. When Gera talked about his black over black, 1997 Limited Edition 15th anniversary Toyota Supra, he couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a riot. I’ve wanted this car the exact way it is, since I was 12 years old. All that changed is that I grew up, and I was able to have a good job and build this thing over the course of four years. My dad jokes with me all the time about that.”

The car’s been fully built by David Stephens at 2JZ Motorsports in Sandy. “It puts down just around 1,000 horsepower, which makes it an absolute riot to drive. Also scary at times, so it’s towing that line.” In fact, the Geras refer to it as The Widowmaker. But it’s an affectionate name.

“I’ve been to the [Utah Motorsports Campus] track a couple of times just to really go and feel the car. But I really don’t make it that much of a habit. My friends pick on me a little bit because they all love going to the race track.”

Cruisin’

The Geras also call the Toyota the much friendlier name of Soup. “Most of the time, we’re just cruising in this thing. I feel like that guy I used to see as a kid in his old hot rod, just finding excuses to drive his car for no reason. 

“I’m more of the guy who just likes to go to Walmart in one of his cars and then drive home. And I’m usually going slow the whole time, so I’m not even taking advantage of the power,” he said.

With a nearly 1,000-horsepower engine, its a workout to drive Gera's '97 Supra. Photo by Chad Hurst

“For me, it’s just the engagement of driving a manual car. Knowing how much power it has is really enjoyable because they all have different characteristics about them. And sometimes,” he added, “you're in the mood to drive one, and other times you're not because you know it's going to be a workout.”

And then there are the sounds. “One of the best things about this car is just the sound it makes. The sound of the turbos, the exhaust, even when you’re just shifting gears — it just sounds so cool. It sounds kinda like a video game.”

Gera is careful to keep it down in his quiet neighborhood. He limits driving — and revving — to the middle of the day. And if he does need to take the Supra out early, he starts it with the garage door partially closed, “and I creep out of here,” he laughed.

Special features

Gera added CCW wheels — his favorite wheel ever — and CTS-V brakes. “The stock brakes of this car couldn’t handle the power, and after one or two pulls at the race track, they just overheat. So, we put big brakes on it to make it safe and make it stop.”

Now he’s working on the interior. Most recently, he put in new seats and a roll cage. A new dash and door panels are patiently waiting in his basement. 

Shop Toyota Supras on KSL Cars →

Green machine

Not long ago, Gera added another beamer to his collection: a 2021 BMW M3 in Isle of Man Green Metallic. “This one was very uncomfortable for me to purchase,” he smiled. “I’m very, very cheap in every aspect of my life except for cars. Rationale goes out the window sometimes.”

It’s also the most electronically advanced vehicle he has owned. But his favorite part of this new daily driver is the orange leather, carbon-backed bucket seats.

“Very Porsche-style is what I would say, kinda like GT3 R seats. When the sun hits them, they’re glossy, they shine. It’s just, I totally nerd out. That’s why I have no window tint on this car, because I enjoy being able to see them,” he said.

It may look like a daily driver, but this 2021 BMW M3 has some special features. Photo by Chad Hurst

It has some unique features. “It’s a manual, which is really rare for any of the new cars, especially these new M3s,” he said. It also has a carbon roof — not painted, just raw carbon fiber with some clear coat over it. Other than that, it's bone stock.

At just under 500 horsepower, Gera said, “It’s enough to get around town, merge on the highway and have a little fun without getting in too much trouble. It’s just a riot to drive. It’s a driver’s car, in my opinion. You can feel everything, everything’s tight.”

And it’s fun. “It’s just a hoot to drive. The other day, I found reasons to go on errands that didn’t even need to be run, just to drive it all around town. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a car that I just enjoy driving every single day. It hasn’t let me down yet.

“It’s so easy to drive, I taught my wife how to drive stick on this car in a parking lot when we got it. I really enjoyed that,” he said. “I don’t know if she enjoyed it as much as I did … but it was a hoot.”

Find BMW M3 listings on KSL Cars →

Dream a little dream

Gera takes his cars to shows on occasion, most often to Cars & Coffee in Lehi, held the first Saturday of each month. There he talks with young enthusiasts with dreams of their own.

He wants them to understand that building a collection, or even getting one supercar, isn’t something that just happens when you have the right job. “This has been 17 years of my life, and a lot of times it hasn’t been easy. I’ll have to park a car for a year because I’ve got to save up to do what I need to do to it.”

But, he said, that’s part of the ride. “If you’re really into it and it’s a passion, just enjoy it being a passion. It’s gonna take a lot of time, just like anything else in your life that’s really, really good.”

Got a neighbor with a garage full of sweet cars? Message us at cars@ksl.com.