(By Tom Lohnes) – When the 5th-generation Toyota Supra debuted in 2019, Toyota made a promise. WIth every passing model year of Supra, Toyota would make some change or upgrade to improve the sports car annually. For the 2021 model year we got a power bump (335-382), and for 2022 we got a nicer interior with a newer infotainment system, so what’s for next year? Well, we may have some idea.
According to a screenshot posted to a social media app called Imgur, the 2023 model-year Toyota Supra will come with a 6-speed manual transmission option in the 6-cylinder model. If you’re looking for a lightweight Supra, you’re out of luck because the manual will not be offered on the lesser 4-cylinder powered model. In terms of the actual transmission that’s going in it, we don’t have much of an idea what it will be. 2015-2018 BMW 340i models with the same B58 inline-6 used a Getrag MT-90 box, but the current M3 uses a beefed up version of that with it’s S58, so we may see the stronger transmission behind the weaker engine. That is good though, because the B58 has insane tuning potential, just like the boosted 6-cylinders in Supras of old.
There are also rumors of the S58 finding its way into a Supra, but that will probably be a sendoff for the 2025 or 2026 model year. Right now, all we have is the 2.0 with the B48 and the 3.0 with the B58. Of course, take all of these rumors with a heavy grain of salt, but the idea of a three-pedal Supra is definitely not out-of-this-world.
The current Supra 3.0 starts at just over $52,000, so expect a slight price bump and maybe even a manual-only special edition for 2023. The leak says that a debut should happen on April 28th of this year, so definitely stay tuned.
So Brian, when they went to make that new funny car body for this season did they call Toyota or BMW to see if it was OK?? Just wondered.