These are strange times when Toyota Supra news is technically BMW news because the current-gen Supra is more BMW than Toyota. Strange times, indeed. Nevertheless, Supra news should be important to BMW enthusiasts, as it’s essentially a coupe version of the BMW Z4. So when news breaks that Toyota might be offering a manual version of the Supra next month, us BMW fans take notice.
News coming from Japan claims a manual Toyota GR Supra with a manual transmission will be announced on April 28. The manual Supra is said to go into production in July and will be limited to the RZ-spec car in Japan, though it’s possible that it could come to other markets as well. In fact, there were reports last year that a manual Supra to the US was almost a certainty.
Interestingly, this report claims the manual transmission will be available only with the 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-six, which is BMW’s B58 engine. At the moment, there’s no way of getting BMW’s B58 engine with a manual transmission in America, which means if the manual Supra comes to the ‘States, it will be Toyota that actually gives us the M Performance version of the B58 with a proper stick shift.
The Toyota Supra 3.0 is a good sports car but it does lack some character of its own. It most of the right ingredients; a 3.0 liter turbo I6 with 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, rear-wheel drive, and a lightweight, balanced chassis. Maybe with the addition of a six-speed manual, the Supra could become the truly special sports car it’s capable of being. It would also immediately become an interesting choice for BMW enthusiasts who want a manual but can’t get one.
The M240i, M340i, M40i, and Z4 M40i all use the same engine as the Supra but are all automatic only. So if you want BMW’s incredibly B58 with three pedals and a stick, you’ll have to ask Toyota.
[Source: Car Scoops]
