It’s Official: The Toyota Supra Is Getting a Manual
The Supra is getting an “all-new, tailor-made” manual gearbox just in time to battle the Nissan Z.
Everybody who made bold, indignant claims that they totally would've gotten a new Toyota Supra if only it came in a manual: it's time to pony up. Just as sources confirmed to The Drive in January, the automaker has now confirmed the existence of something enthusiasts have been borderline cyberbullying it for since the coupe came out: a Supra with an honest-to-god manual transmission.
Riding on the goodwill coattails it garnered with the recent reveal of the unequivocally awesome GR Corolla, Toyota tweeted, "Did you think we were done?" along with a picture of three pedals and the hashtags #Supra and #Manual. Across the pond, Toyota UK was less cryptic, issuing a full press release that explicitly says that, yes, a manual Supra is coming soon.
Unless Toyota is playing some sort of sick, two-weeks-too-late April Fools' joke, it looks like the Supra is, at long last, getting a stick option. Up until now, the fifth-gen, BMW-collab Supra has exclusively been equipped with a ZF eight-speed automatic, regardless of engine choice.
Specifics as to what manual gearbox will actually end up in the Supra is still a mystery but don't go assuming it'll be an off-the-shelf BMW unit. Toyota UK says the sports car's upcoming manual will be "all-new" and "tailor-made." Whether that manual will be available with the Supra's 2.0-liter inline-four, 3.0-liter inline-six, or both remains to be seen.
Toyota UK's press release also included a picture of the back of the car with a red Supra badge, a feature the company says will only come on manual cars and serve as an easy way for onlookers to know which gearbox you've got. This picture curiously was not included in Toyota USA's tweet so perhaps this will be an overseas market-only thing.
Toyota's confirmation of an upcoming manual Supra confirms what we already heard from a dealer source earlier this year. And last month, a Japanese car blog echoed the rumor and alleged that the car will debut on April 28, less than two weeks from now. The company has yet to officially set any dates but does say "More information will be shared in the coming weeks." Considering how accurate the rumor mill has been so far, I wouldn't bet against that April 28 reveal date.
Anywho, if Toyota can indeed ship this car for the upcoming model year, it will be doing so just in time for it to go toe-to-toe with the new, manual-optional Nissan Z. Cue the comparison tests.
Got a tip or question for the author about the manual Supra? You can reach them here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com
