MOTORING

Three pedals make the GR Supra even better, writes Brenwin Naidu

A spin around Circuito Monteblanco

So you think you can drive? Riding in the passenger seat with someone who does endless test laps for a living is a sure-fire way to prompt a re-evaluation of personal abilities.That is the case for me, anyway, on a hot Wednesday morning at Circuito Monteblanco just outside Seville, Spain. Lead engineer for the manual version of the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) Supra, Herwig Daenens, is demonstrating the limits of the new coupé.

In calm fashion, he is extracting every ounce of performance available. The suspension is getting a thorough workout, as loads are transferred through the sweeping corners and gentle elevations of the track. His steering inputs are calculated, precise, with shifts via the six-speed dispatched in relaxed confidence.

My protective mask conceals a fat grin. We pull into the pits after the cool-down run, then it is my turn to hop into the saddle.

Nearly three years have passed since our introduction to the GR Supra, at its local launch in July 2019. Many had initial misgivings, given its reliance on the BMWsourced architecture and engine.

Some crowed that the A90 Supra was not a real heir to the throne. But such expressions were taken with a pinch of salt. The A80 generation never went on sale in SA, not officially anyway. It was under consideration, as evidenced in a January 1994 Car magazine exclusive road test. The publication described that car as a rapid, unflustered grand tourer rather than scalpel-sharp thriller. Back in 1994 the Supra was being compared to models like the BMW M3 coupé.

At its launch three years ago three key rivals were cited: Porsche 718 Cayman S, Audi TT RS and BMW M2. The car with the golden crest, with its engine in the middle, offers exceptional balance and boxerengine acoustics. The four-ringed contender brings all-wheel drive, wild straight-line performance, and a fivecylinder war-cry. A new M2 is imminent, though the jury is out on whether it will retain the wild streak of its forebear.

Developing a manual Supra derivative was not a case of plug-and-play. It started on a practical note: with the centre console, which had to be reshuffled, else the knuckles of the driver would smack into switchgear on shifts. And then we have the lever itself. Optimised for a short-stroke action, providing an assured, solid feel with each action of engagement.

The Toyota-unique gearbox was created using existing components, adapted to the greater power load of the turbocharged, sixcylinder engine. Automatic throttleblipping allows for improved synchronisation of shifts, though you can deactivate it if you fancy indulging in heeland-toe action for greater effect.

Then Toyota revised the suspension, with stronger stabiliser bushes, in addition to tuning the shock absorbers for the expected (more exuberant) manner in which the Supra is likely to be piloted. The electronic power-steering system was given a once-over. A Hairpin function is part of its repertoire. Engaging this mode relaxes the traction control, allowing for more wheelspin when tackling twisty roads with an uphill gradient. And since the final gear was shortened, the Supra has a higher RPM at top speed than the automatic.

Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. We saw just under 200km/h at the main straight of the circuit, before tapping off and leaning onto the anchors ahead of the first turn, a right-hander with space to comfortably let the tail out.

Toyota claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.6 seconds, which is 0.3 seconds off the automatic. But it compensates hundredfold in immersion and outright enjoyment. The manual affords full control over that throaty 2,998cc engine at the front, which BMW aficionados know lovingly as the B58.

Its bellowing timbre encourages you to chase redline. Power from the 24-valve, turbocharged engine is unchanged at 250kW and 500Nm. Clutch action is a sweet spot between light and firm and the shifter almost feels as if it is being sucked into each gate.

In the handling department, the Supra is a forgiving sparring partner. With electronic aids in place and its sizeable hind footprint, you would have to be doing something quite ridiculous to induce waywardness past the point of no return.

Our market will not have the option of the lighter, base version when the GR Supra manual is launched in September. Nor will we get the delectable toffee-hued interior.

In an era of increasing detachment from the driving process, purists are going to relish the availability of a clutch pedal and a row-your-own shifter in what remains one of the finest sports cars money can buy. Inevitably, uptake in our market is not likely to be high: but those who buy a manual Supra will be getting an instant modern classic.