Drift into it with the manual version of the Toyota GR Supra

The Toyota GR Supra has become known as something of a weapon in local drag racing circles. A highly modifiable powertrain and a fast-shifting auto box doing the work for the driver has proved to be a combination that’s hard to beat in the discipline of going fast in a straight line.

But when it comes to going around corners fast, the GR Supra has not resonated as well with local buyers as perhaps one would have thought for a powerful rear-wheel drive car. But now, Toyota are offering the GR Supra with a six-speed manual gearbox for those who like to do things themselves, and if overseas sales are anything to go by, the purists are loving the idea.

Will our local lot get behind a clutch pedal and a stick shift in noticeable numbers? Time will tell, but my guess is the manual GR Supra will remain a niche choice within an already niche segment.

The next question is, did The Citizen Motoring enjoy our time with manual GR Supra? And the short answer is a big yes and a small no.

More powerful GR Supra

Besides the bump in power from 250 kW to 285 kW with no increase to the 500 Nm of torque, there are a few other technical updates that I will get to before we look at the road test data and what happened when I unleashed the manual GR Supra at the Gerotek test facility.

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You have a retuned suspension, that includes the likes of more rigid vulcanised rubber in the front and rear anti-roll bar bushes, re-tuned shock absorbers, and a re-tuned electric power steering. This rides on a vehicle stability control system that has been optimised for a manual transmission car that can be provoked to spin up the rear wheels at will.

Wheelspin also means that a car like this will be sensitive to sudden “snap-off” oversteer, something that the same vehicle stability control system can’t control on its own. To help counter this behaviour, an anti-roll programme intervenes at an earlier point to try cover any sudden loss of grip.

Did I test the exact workings of these systems? No, but I played, and lighting up the rear tyres was easy. Regardless of the systems on board, common sense must be applied if you don’t want to exit the road into a lamp pole. Or the track into a barrier when your bravado outguns your talent.

ALSO READ: Manual Toyota GR Supra puts man and machine in perfect harmony

Wheelspin

Staying on the wheelspin topic, my very first sprint run at Gerotek resulted in wheelspin right through first gear and well into second gear. The sprint time was horrible. I tackled the second run with far less enthusiasm and the car bogged down, and the sprint time was horrible once again.

Right there all the memories of how hard I had to work in the past to nail a few good 0 to 100 km/h times came flooding back, and why the drag guys love an auto so much.

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After a few attempts, I put down a 4.56 second 0-100 km/h time, which is only a few tenths slower than the previous auto. But once the human factor had less to do going fast, the manual GR Supra clawed its way back and hit 220 km/h in 880m, whereas the auto got there a full 200m later when I tested it a few years ago.

Slipping the clutch

There are some downsides as alluded to in my yes and no answer of earlier. Besides one not being as quick as a machine, some mechanical sympathy and attention to what is happening around you is required when pushing a manual transmission car as hard as you can off the line. Slipping the clutch or beating the syncros into second, or missing gears, will result in some expensive repairs bills in your near future, but driving a powerful manual car will always remain a purist thing, and I enjoyed my time thoroughly with the manual GR Supra.

The reality though of today’s traffic and us growing used to cars doing more and more for the driver, means that the manual Toyota GR Supra makes for a great weekend car, but not an everyday commuter. For this kind of more mundane use, rather tick the auto box option.

Pricing is set at R1 488 400. This includes a five-services / 100 000km service plan, as well as a three-year / 100 000 km warranty.

GR Supra road test results