The current, fifth-generation Toyota Supra was the first to not offer a manual transmission. That’s reportedly about to change.
Japanese outlet Creative Trend reports the GR Supra will be revealed in six-speed manual guise on April 28, 2022, with production commencing in July and Japanese deliveries beginning in October.
The best part? The three-pedal option will reportedly come with the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine, instead of being restricted to the turbo 2.0-litre four not sold here.
That’ll give Toyota a direct rival for the upcoming Nissan Z, which will also come with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission.
The manual Supra will reportedly miss out on adaptive cruise control and reverse autonomous emergency braking.
There’s precedent for a manual-equipped vehicle to miss out on certain active safety and driver assist equipment; the Subaru BRZ manual misses out on much of the suite of technology found on the auto.
The manual isn’t the only variant that’ll join the Supra line for 2023.
Previous reports have indicated a GRMN Supra will debut early in 2023 as a limited-run model – just 200 units – with an uprated version of the Supra’s BMW-sourced turbocharged inline-six.
Best Car Web reports this will produce 385kW and 657Nm, just edging out the twin-turbo inline-six of the BMW M3 and M4 Competition (375kW/650Nm) and comfortably ahead of the regular Supra (285kW/500Nm).
The GRMN Supra could reportedly use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic instead of the eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission used by the BMW and the regular Supra.
It’s also expected to feature various weight-saving measures, including various carbon-fibre components.
The Supra is about to face fresh competition from a redesigned Nissan Z-Car.
The 370Z’s replacement, called simply ‘Z’, is due here in the middle of 2022 and will use a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 298kW of power and 475Nm of torque.
It’s mated to either the aforementioned six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic.
MORE: Everything Toyota Supra
