In a video posted by carspymedia on Youtube, a camouflaged Toyota Supra is seen roaming around the Nürburgring and doing a few laps on the Nordschleife. When listening to the Supra at full tilt, there are two distinct clues that this is a manual Supra: the shift and the gear ratio.
Those who have driven a manual Supra will know that it has tall gears, and the prototype in the video only shifts once, even on long straights. But that one change is enough to hear a slight increase in revs from hitting the clutch pedal with some enthusiasm, followed by a drop in revs and re-engagement of the clutch. Also, there’s no typical ZF eight-speed ignition-cut farting on upshifts. Make no mistake—this Supra is a stick.
There has been a lot of speculation about the Supra GRMN, mainly regarding its powertrain. Currently, the Supra has two powertrain options: a 255-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four B48 engine and a 382-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six called the B58. The Supra GRMN is rumored to be powered by the BMW M3’s S58 engine, making 473 hp (503 hp in M3 Competition form). Otherwise, the prototype in the video tries to hide a new decklid, wing and front bumper with integrated canards.
The Supra has become the de facto king of track days and amateur time attacks in America, it is already ultra-fast with some basic mods. But if you took the Supra and gave it 100 extra horsepower, it would be unbeatable. Don’t be afraid, Toyota. Give us GRMN.