Toyota Supra GRMN confirmed? New super Supra to get twin-turbo BMW M3 engine and a manual gearbox!

Toyota seems to have let slip that a GRMN-badged Supra is coming, with future editions of the brand's newest performance vehicle to get BMW's new twin-turbocharged M3 engine and a manual gearbox. The only question, says Toyota, is in what order.

That's the word from Toyota's chief engineer, and prince of performance, Tetsuya Tada, who told media that today's Supra - due to arrive in Australia next month - is merely the "first iteration", and that improvements would lead all the way to a fire-breathing GRMN model.

"If you had to choose between the S58 twin-turbo engine or introducing the manual transmission, which would have the higher priority?” Tada-san asked media outlet Autoindustriya.

“What you’re experiencing today is the first iteration of the new Supra From this point on – as with all other sports cars – every year we will have a new iteration of it that comes with new upgrades. For the 86, for instance, every year there were a few evolutions and upgrades, all the way to the GRMN model.

“With regards to upgrades, there is an order we can introduce things in. The only question is in what order should we go with?”

That's huge news for Supra fans, with Toyota's go-fast guru seemingly confirming there would eventually be a GRMN Supra powered by BMW's twin-turbocharged S58 engine, and available with a manual gearbox. 

That engine, which BMW uses in its X3M and X4M, and that will find a home in the M2, M3 and M4, is an adaption of the B58 engine already used in the BMW Z4 M40i.

Good for around 375kW and 600Nm in its base form, the S58 engine would mark a sizeable improvement over the Supra's (already formidable) 250kW and 500Nm. That power is fed to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic, unlocking a sprint to 100km/h of just 4.3 seconds, before pushing on to a (limited) top speed of 250km/h.

But that, according to Tada-san, is only the beginning. And based on those specifications, the GRMN version would be blisteringly quick.

The Supra will land in Australia in an entry-level GT trim level, which is priced from $93,730 drive-away. You can then step up to the GTS trim level, which ups the price to $104,379,

The first two allocations of cars for Australia sold out in minutes. A third allocation is due to go on sale September 25.