Who would have thought that Toyota would inevitably become one of the last bastions of sports driving in its purest form? However, this is what is currently happening with the successive releases of the GR 86 and GR Corolla under the influence given by the big boss Akio Toyoda, a great fan of sports cars and car racing. Now add to this list the latest iteration of the Supra which brings back the manual transmission in addition to receiving various tweaks.
Posted at 11:45 a.m.
The sports coupe co-developed with BMW will thus be entitled to this endangered mechanical component for the 2023 model year, making it much more intriguing and relevant in the eyes of a purist clientele. Engineers didn’t just bolt on that six-speed gearbox without making necessary changes to the coupe, though.
From the transmission case, via the shaft sending the torque to the rear, to a differential whose gear ratio has been increased and the engine map, attention to the symbiosis between the engine and this transmission is palpable. The gear lever mechanism has also been studied and its stroke shortened to enhance its feel and precision. This box can also only guide the original BMW 3 L turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine which develops 382 hp.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOYOTA
Toyota has focused as much on the mechanism of the gear lever as its positioning in the cabin to make the driving experience rewarding.
To adapt to this gearbox combined with a very torquey engine, the traction control system has been optimized to reduce tire slippage during a standing start. The stability control system has also been reviewed to make the behavior of this Supra more predictable at the limit and thus limit its tendency to stall in oversteer. The damping has also been revised to find a better balance between comfort and the dynamic aspect of the two-seater in parallel with the steering.
The price list for this Supra 2023 will be presented this summer. We should logically expect to have to pay a supplement to get our hands on the manual transmission liveries. We bet, however, that their value will be maintained and could even grow due to the fact that this configuration is becoming increasingly rare in the automotive world.