The Toyota GR Supra will get a manual gearbox
The return of the highly controversial Toyota Supra has caused a lot of ink to flow among performance enthusiasts. The fact that it’s essentially a rebadged BMW has clearly offended many, but it’s mostly the fact that it’s only offered with an automatic transmission that has drawn it several negative comments in recent years. Toyota fixes this problem and confirms that a manual gearbox will soon be added to the range.
The rumor of a GR Supra equipped with a manual transmission dates back to its North American launch in 2020. At the time, Toyota hinted that such a box might be added to the lineup down the road. However, looking at the partnership with BMW and the CLAR platform that supports it, not to mention the turbocharged 6-cylinder engine that powers it, the automotive press doubted such a thing was possible.
Remember that BMW does not offer any model equipped with a manual gearbox on this platform.
Toyota USA therefore surprises us with this announcement made on his Twitter account sharp midnight on April 15. In his publication, we see three pedals with the mention “Did you think we were done? … Stay tuned” (did you think we were done? Stay tuned); followed by the hashtags #Supra and #Manual.
This indeed confirms the thing, but Toyota has not yet mentioned anything about the origin of this gearbox. Will Toyota borrow a manual transmission from BMW? If yes which one ? Or did she rather develop her own version?
It is still too early to know, but several specialized sites testify to the fact that Toyota would have indeed manufactured its own box. In addition, these same sites tell us about an official unveiling on April 28th. A press release from Toyota UK, England, claims that manual gearbox-equipped examples would feature a red-painted Supra badge.
We’ll have to wait a few more weeks to find out more, but one thing is certain, Toyota doesn’t seem to be neglecting performance enthusiasts these days. After the unveiling of the GR Corolla and now the announcement of a manual-transmission GR Supra, it’s clear the automaker understands what driving enthusiasts want.
