Toyota Supra

[dodint]

I was never a Supra guy and haven't been following this very closely.

Isn't a 'Supra' a car that, as a core characteristic of its essence, one that would feature a clutch pedal rather than entirely omitting it? My assumption is the Supra in this current incarnation is going to be sold as a luxury-sports toy rather than what the original Supra was sold as, and so the choice is made to ditch that core characteristic because the new demographic for the car probably doesn't care to row their own gears.

Am I close? My assumption is informed by stuff like TFATF, Gran Turismo 1, and the bits and pieces I've picked up here (wasn't there a weird 'Supra is the Japanese Camaro' ticklefight that we had recently?).

Bottom line, my idea of what a Supra is calls for it to have a manual option, even if it doesn't sell. Toyota thinks differently.

[MR2 Fan]

It's not like there aren't any BMW manuals to pick from...

which begs the question, will the BMW variant of the Supra have one

[dodint]

BMW is phasing stick manuals out of everything but the 1-series, MINI, and most M variants. Presumably this will include the new Z4 in stock trim.

[MR2 Fan]

solution: 86 with 2JZ swap

[CudaMan]

It's been done as a ~1,000hp thing. Completely useless car. It had so much lag that nothing happened at WOT for a long time until a near instant transition to massive wheelspin. Would have been much better as a responsive 400hp machine.

Unfortunately a lot of time has passed since the Supra was last sold here, and in that time manufacturers (and some buyers) have decided that manuals are old tech and inferior. The unfortunate side effect of computers so tightly controlling engines these days is that manuals need their own tunes which adds to the cost of development for any manual car now. A limited production high end sports car, it makes business sense to only put a paddle shift system in it which would be the most popular option anyway. With the LFA and FR-S, Toyota/Lexus seemed to be doing something really cool which was to make numbers and specs less important than the driving experience. We'll see if the Z4upra can live up to that standard as a real driver's car.

[MR2 Fan]

I know, there's several 86 to 2JZ swaps out there....and I agree I'd much rather have a 400hp one. The idea of that much power in such a small car though (I know there's smaller cars with bigger engines, but I'm personally relating since I still own my 86 )

[Rare White Ape]

I was never a Supra guy and haven't been following this very closely.

Isn't a 'Supra' a car that, as a core characteristic of its essence, one that would feature a clutch pedal rather than entirely omitting it? My assumption is the Supra in this current incarnation is going to be sold as a luxury-sports toy rather than what the original Supra was sold as, and so the choice is made to ditch that core characteristic because the new demographic for the car probably doesn't care to row their own gears.

That’s the romanticised, rose-tinted view on the Supra. But the demographic that maintained that view (new Supra buyers back in the 90s) is now 20 years older and Toyota has to try and sell a car to them. They’ve got good careers and their kids have moved out, so they’re flush with cash and have plenty of options available to them.

[MR2 Fan]

The MKIV Supra had amazing potential and looked awesome....from the back. I always thought it looked too heavy and the front end was never great looking IMO. I love it for what it meant as a Toyota halo car, but also meant the MKII MR2 was considered lower tier, even though IMO it isn't...it may have also meant used MR2 prices have stayed relatively reasonable for a long time at least.

[CudaMan]

Having driven a stock MKIV Supra TT 6spd off and on the past few months, admittedly a Targa with worn out suspension etc, it's definitely more of a grand tourer feeling on the street. I think when pushed harder it likely comes alive more, but I didn't do that. The MK2 MR2 is more constant fun. It's a little hard to explain. The limits of the Supra are higher, its out of the box performance and potential performance are far greater, but it's less connected at normal speeds. Still a great car, and a legend. It was so mechanically excellent for its time, with big power for the day and the ability to use it.

I think kids who were growing up when the MKIV Supra was new, like me, are also in a position to buy this new car (not me), and it represents something a little different to them than perhaps the original 90s buyers.

[Freude am Fahren]

I always saw the Supra as more of the GT, the RX-7 and NSX as the hardcore sportscars, and the GT-R as middleground, jack of all trades.