You have some historical revisionism going on there.
Only 8,997 NSXs where sold in the USA, roughly half the number of the MKIV Supra.
1998 Corvette MSRP was $38,995
1998 N/A Supra was $31,078
1998 A/T TT was $38,778
1998 6spd TT Sport Roof was $40,508
1998 NSX was $88,000
300ZX and 3000GT had volumes in their heavily discounted Non-Turbo models. They also had a 4 year head start on the Supra.
Technically, the Supra was a ground breaking achievement. 320hp in a 3,200lb Coupe with rear geometry that could hook (unlike a Z32). It had a bullet proof power train, unlike the VR4 and modern braking and ABS with 4-channel control. It nailed every stat, Skid pad, 0-60, 0-120, 60-0, etc.
The MKIV was already a king before FnF. In fact it was picked for FnF because of its reputation. It was the frost car you could basically slap a turbo on and boost to 500whp with no other work. No exploding pistons, cracking blocks, blown transfer cases, spun cranks, etc.
FnF production crew originally wanted Brian (Paul Walker) to start in Dodge Stealth scene here in a mini-movie teasing the sequel.
View attachment 1681351
Paul would then step up to the GSX Eclipse.
The car consultant team thought this was ludicrous and made changes to go from the GSX to the Supra.
GSX was picked over the Stealth because a 1995 RS was fairly cheap and they needed ~13 of them for the movie. Car in the movie is clearly not a 4G63, but it's supposed to be a GSX.
The Supra's more understated designs have aged very well. Classic proportions, driver focused cockpit, targa top, huge aftermarket... And like you said, it's teenage fans of the 90's and 00's couldn't afford it - but now some can... And are willing to drop big coin.
The MKIV also benefits a lot from early digital videos. I remember watching Supra vs Porsche Street race clips back in 2001, the classic Leo Supra videos, etc. Not unlike thr Terminator and the Snake Bite video.
not sure how old you are but i was heavily into the car scene in LA and did not see supras around. i saw a lot of NSXs around LA. of course they were more expensive but they were considered exotic while the supra was considered an overpriced toyota. i googled the price of a supra twin turbo in 1995 and it came back as just under $50k. people called it a $50k car. i said the one i sat in at the dealership was $55k.
How Much Did The Toyota Supra Mk4 Cost New? - Garage Dreams
looking at my link here, you'll see how the price dropped by $10k the last two years, just like i said it did, except i thought it was just the last year. your price you quoted was after the price drop. and why did it drop? because they werent selling. and eventually they were cancelled. what other amazing car has had its price drastically slashed like that(msrp)? if they were the incredible machine that everyone says they are, they would have kept selling like hotcakes. the corvette sold well and continued to sell. im not saying the supra isnt a great car, and especially after they came out with tons of stuff to make them super powerful but they were not the uber popular car back then. maybe in some circles they were. they just did not excite. id see occasional stock ones running around, but i remember, specifically, the first time i saw a modded one driving around. it was an older white guy, like in his 60s. i saw plenty of modded NSX running around. people would get all excited when they'd see one. it was THE car back then. The supra may have been a king in some limited circles of guys with $$ but they were not around and i didnt hear people talking about them (like you do now), and i was very into the import scene and knew guys who worked at the magazines and in various car clubs and owned import shops, went to sema, import shows, muscle car shows, truck shows and various car gatherings, and the street races. F&F made that car every import fan boys dream. it was not like that all before. just like Gran Turismo made the GTR popular. very few people knew or cared about that car before GT. we also didnt have social media to blow things up like they do now. back then it was word of mouth and magazines.
of course, this was just my anecdotal experience here in los angeles where you see an exotic of some sort every day. maybe things were different in oklahoma.