New Toyota Supra gets manual gearbox

• Six-speed manual lighter than auto
• Exclusive red badging and paint colours
• Revised model line-up

Three years and after making its debut and following continuous requests from enthusiasts, Toyota has revealed the new Toyota Supra Manual Transmission. This new six-speed manual model will sit alongside the eight-speed torque converter automatic in the range and will wear a model-specific red ‘Supra’ badge.

Toyota claims that the new manual Supra is aimed at ‘driving purists’ and will be up to 38.3kg lighter than the 3.0-litre Pro automatic model. This is achieved through a simpler gearbox mechanism as well as lighter 19-inch alloy wheels; these combined save a total of 21.8kg. A further reduction of 16.5kg can be achieved by opting for the new entry-level 3.0-litre model, which ditches the electrically adjustable leather seats and opts for a lightweight sound system.

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The new entry-level model 3.0-litre model is launched as part of a range of revisions for the Toyota Supra. The base car uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 254bhp, and is only available with the automatic transmission. Supra 3.0-litre cars have a six-cylinder unit with 335bhp, and can be specified with either a manual or automatic transmission. The auto can cover the 0-62mph sprint in just 4.3 seconds; a figure that is likely to grow slightly with the manual. The 3.0 Pro tops the range and adds several luxury features such as the aforementioned leather upholstery.

Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s performance division and has produced some of the most exciting drivers’ cars recently, such as the Toyota GR Yaris and the upcoming Toyota GR86 sports car. To make the manual Supra more exciting to drive, the team at GR has developed a new anti-roll system to avoid sudden loss of control at high speeds, while the car’s ‘Track’ mode setting has been tweaked to allow for more controlled drifting. More demanding roads can be attacked with the manual Supra’s exclusive ‘Hairpin+’ function, which provides more wheelspin on uphill gradients.

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Along with the obvious technical changes, the introduction of the manual Supra also brings a small array of new visual updates. The centre console has had to be redesigned to accommodate the manual shift lever, which has been made particularly heavy for a more satisfying feel. Manual cars will also wear a red ‘Supra’ badge, plus there are now two new paint options to choose from: Moareki Grey and Dawn Blue.

Pricing has yet to be revealed, but we expect the manual Supra to cost around the same as the current automatic model. Of course, a new model of the Supra raises questions about a potential high-performance Toyota Supra GRMN variant. Like the Toyota GR Yaris GRMN, this model could use a more powerful engine, a stripped out interior and plenty of aggressive exterior aerodynamics. However, even if such a car is in development it’s unclear whether it would come to the UK, with the recently revealed GR Corolla only heading to Japan and the US.

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