Back in 2019, I drove for Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series for a small part-time team that had factory support at times. This also happened to be right when the new Supra landed in the USA. As a fan of Super Street magazine growing up, just hearing the word Supra makes me nostalgic for all those times discussing with friends how the original was capable of 100,000 horsepower and that when a Supra accelerates, the world stops. It was the unicorn car for us pre-teens.
So, a new one? Well, it had to be incredible. Then something funny happened. I was offered an allocation of one of the limited-edition launch cars; I could even choose the number it would be.
I deliberated and deliberated, read reviews, and drove one. A Toyota dealership on the way to the NBC Studio (I also worked in TV) had a navy blue one that looked fantastic. I stared at it every time I drove by.
Then I showed my girlfriend. “Really? You want that?!” she replied.
I felt bad because I thought it was a pretty car.
I deliberated more … and then I declined it. Partly because, at the time, my fledgling racing career wasn’t providing the most considerable or consistent income, and I just didn’t love it. I felt this allocation should go to somebody it would mean more to.
My biggest gripe? It was an automatic.
Now, I’ve driven the manual, and it’s everything I hoped for. More specifically, the 45th Anniversary Edition.
What is the GR Supra 45th Anniversary Edition?
It’s the 20-year high school reunion of Supras. “Wait,” you say, “the Supra name being 45 years old doesn’t seem right.” That’s because the Anniversary Edition is really an ode to the most famous Supra, the Mk4 in the Fast and the Furious – which was about 20 years ago, so this is an excuse for us all to get together and talk about skipping gym class to look at Mk4 Supras.
Toyota will only make 900 of these nostalgic emo-song Supras, and only in two colors: Mikan Blast, which is orange, and Absolute Zero, which is, um, white. In GR trim, the Supra gets a manually adjustable wing, some added bracing up front, unique wheels, and painted brake calipers. There’s also a stripe down the side that says “Supra,” in case you forget what you’re driving.
Most importantly, this Supra has something the original Mk5 model didn’t have: a manual gearbox!
The Basics
– 0-60: 3.9 seconds
– 382 HP at 5800 RPM
– 362 lb/ft of torque at 1800
– Turbocharged six-cylinder
– Six-Speed Manual
First Impressions
When the car was graciously delivered to me, it was on a busy side street outside my apartment building. So, about five seconds after getting the keys, I had to maneuver into a tight parallel parking spot to run and get my garage opener. Thankfully, my review car had parking assist, because once I got past its in-your-face looks, I realized I couldn’t see a damn thing. More on this later.
Once I took the Supra for an actual drive going forward, I could immediately tell the 2024 model takes what I loved about the first Mk5 Supra I drove and makes it all even better.
Before I go any further, let me get something out of the way. Yes, upon sitting in the car for the first time, it smells like a BMW. The infotainment system, chimes, and dials are all BMW. Your annoying “friend” who reposts Instagram links in your group chat daily will also remind you, “It’s just a BMW!” [Me? – MH]
I’ve owned a BMW, and I’ve always liked BMW interiors. So, as I sat there driving this excellent sports car, I wondered: why is it a bad thing if it has BMW DNA?
That wondering stopped as soon as I rowed my way up and down through all six of the wonderful gears. Forget whether or not this Supra is more BMW than Toyota – I felt compelled to tell anyone who would listen about this gearbox!
The Manual Gearbox
It’s absolutely sensational. Easily one of the best manual gearboxes I have ever driven. It is so smooth, yet also mechanical and rigid as you place it in gear. This is what you imagine shifting a 2024 manual would be, so perfected in its engineering that the developers could focus on feel. It’s as if each action of operating the gearbox was carefully measured and debated but by car people, not some corporate committee. More like Apple in the ‘90s, as if a small team of dedicated experts sat around with a couple of pizzas late at night debating what humans really want from a gear shift. Less why mechanically you would shift gears and more what emotion could a gear shift create.
They also term it an “intelligent manual” because it has an optional “auto-blip” to help you match revs, which works very well, especially on a tight racetrack like the FCP Euro Proving Grounds autocross track at Lime Rock Park. Less so when you’re leaving your quiet neighborhood on an early morning, and your car intelligently revs to 4000 RPM right next to Betty and her black lab. Betty isn’t impressed, and your neighbors all think, “I hate that guy.”
Putting this aside, I also believe it may be the easiest manual gearbox I have ever driven. The clutch is perfect, and it just seems like you would have to actively try to make a shifting mistake or stall the car in order to have anything less than a wonderful experience. Anyone making a manual gearbox from this point on absolutely must use the Supra’s transmission as their benchmark. It simply doesn’t get better than this.
On The Racetrack
My friends at Lime Rock Park are cool people. They have one of the most historic racetracks in America, nestled in a small valley in North West Connecticut with one of the most beautiful skid pads and Autocross courses named the FCP Euro Proving Grounds. Yet, maybe because I am a small part of the ownership group (I own the equivalent of one blade of grass), they let me come up there and thrash cars about, so that’s exactly what I did with this 45th Anniversary Edition Supra. So, how does it drive on the racetrack?
Fucking perfect. Much like the gearbox, they knew what they were doing. This is one of the most approachable fast cars I have ever hopped into on a racetrack. It has a seriousness with the power and how that power arrives once the boost hits, but it’s the approachability when you get to the braking zone or into a corner that shocked me. No matter how obtuse you’re in the braking zone, you can find the apex (within reason), and then from there, the throttle is less an accelerant and more a device for helping point the front end where you would like it to go on the exit.
So now you’re like, “Oh no, it’s so good that means it can’t do fun stuff like drift?” Nope, that’s just as easy. Want to have a massive drift on the exit? Turn the wheel further as you give it a bit more throttle, and it will gracefully release the rear tires into a lovely drift.
If you find yourself in one of these slides and decide, “You know, I would much rather be going straight,” then a few quick adjustments of the wheel, a backing down on the throttle, and somehow the rear end of the car gets the message and comes back in line.
All of this is quite funny to me because, on the street, there can be small second-gear moments in the Supra that seem edgy. They seem edgy because any break of traction on the street feels like impending doom. But when you give it just 10% more leeway being on a racetrack, suddenly you realize that break of traction wasn’t even close to its final resting place.
There is a whole expanse of available grip and angle. Like walking into a small, modest house, getting to the back, and realizing it was hiding a 10-acre cascading garden with a pool and expansive views.
The fruit of this car is on the other side of your initial reaction.
On The Street
I think the GR Supra’s full potential is simply not accessible on the street. It is fun, but the engine often feels muted at lower RPM, before the boost really kicks in. You can tell it has serious cornering potential, but as with most modern sports cars, I felt it almost impossible to sense its capabilities on the street after driving it on the track.
In Normal mode, the car offers a very comfortable ride, but in Sport, it can certainly be a tad aggressive for messy roads and bumps. On the highway, it’s a wonderful cruiser. Despite being more of a high-strung sports car, it covered miles effortlessly without draining my energy. Ever gone on a long drive in a Miata? That can be tiring. On the highway, the little roadster’s low power means moves need to be well planned and its small size makes trucks feel like planets. You don’t get that in the Supra.
It feels like it belongs, and over the course of a few longer drives, it reminded me more of my 911 than a Miata.
This was surprising because one massive drawback on the street is the cabin. It just feels compact. The blind spots, which have been well-documented, are real, like really real. Without all the backup cameras and assistance, I would certainly bump into something.
Then there’s trying to go left from a stop sign. As you look right, it will simply be a guess as to whether or not there is oncoming traffic. Thankfully, you have 382 horsepower at your disposal to get you away from any cars you might pull out in front of.
You Will Make New Friends
Making friends can be challenging, but if you find yourself in a 45th Anniversary edition Mikan Blast Supra, I can assure you that you’ll engage in numerous conversations, and some may even become friends.
On my drive to Lime Rock, I had a man in a Honda Accord go by me on the highway, then slowly let me catch up to where he could roll down his window and give me a massive thumbs up, waving his hand until he knew I saw.
Then as I stopped for gas at Cumberland Farms, I had a nice man take the time to have a 15-minute conversation about the orange Supra and compare it to the Boxster he is thinking of getting.
The next day, I took the Supra around Greenwich, CT, home to countless Defenders and overly optioned 911s. Some gave me the “What is that?” look. People were perplexed by this bright orange vehicle that was obviously a sports car but didn’t say Porsche on the front.
On my last day with the car, my girlfriend and I were driving back from dinner when we pulled behind a red Supra wearing a license plate that read “ITZABMW.” As I followed, I could tell we would be friends. This person is not dissuaded by internet commenters who will never buy one of these cars telling you what they think it is. Confident enough to lean into the joke.
Mk5 Supra owners make great party guests, I’m sure.
Conclusion
As you will see in my video, my thoughts on the GR Supra are simple. Putting the 45th Anniversary Edition aside, the 3.0 Liter, Manual GR Supra is a fantastic sports car, the very thing just five years ago people were saying may never be made again.
If you’re in the market for a sports car that can be tracked and is capable of long drives without causing lasting back problems and stress, then the Supra is a must-see.
Its biggest problem is that 45 years ago, the American division of Toyota came up with a name that it will never live up to. Take that away, and we would all praise Toyota for giving us a piece of machinery that many other car manufacturers wouldn’t touch.
It’s a great sports car. Don’t be a snob. Give it a look.
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