A manual Supra is in the works, but Toyota has nothing to do with it. Yeah, it's a bummer, but at least the aftermarket is giving us hope.
(Note to the squeamish: There are some finger-slicing moments during the flywheel installation, so if you're not a fan of bloody digits, you may want to skip the video. There's also some celebratory NSFW language.)
This manual transmission build comes to you courtesy of European Auto Group, which may seem like an odd name for a shop working on a manual-transmission Toyota but don't forget, this generation of the Supra shares both its underlying platform and much of its powertrain with the new BMW Z4. As a result, anybody who has worked with the German automaker's N- and S-series 6-cylinders should be right at home working on Toyota's new sports coupe.
If the name sounds familiar, that's because this isn't the shop's first foray into manual transmission conversions of auto-only offerings. European Auto Group is also responsible for converting the auto-only Ferrari 458 to manual. The embedded YouTube video shows the final stages of installing the flywheel, bolting the transmission in, and firing up the car.
This build represents a proof-of-concept for what will eventually become a customer swap kit. You read that correctly. This isn't just a one-off; you'll be able to buy this but it won't be cheap. Between the OEM BMW transmission and the custom parts necessary to complete the kit the total cost may be around $12,000, and you'll need to put 50% of that down up front. Plus you need to have your car delivered to the shop in San Antonio. Not cheap.
European Auto Group only offers the swap to customers who deliver their cars for the conversion, not as an off-the-shelf kit for shadetree wrenchers. We suspect that may change as the kinks are worked out, but don't expect a ship-to-home kit any time soon.
Since BMW remains firm in its decision to keep the Supra auto-only, this may be the best bet for die-hard buyers who want the purist experience.
