When it comes to hypothetical dilemmas made to while away the hours, it’s hard to beat the old “would you rather” game. Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf? Would you rather have a yacht or a private jet? Or, in the case of the new Toyota Supra: Would you rather have a more powerful version, or one with a manual gearbox?
That, as it turns out, isn’t quite so hypothetical a concern for Toyota chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, often referred to as the “father of the new Supra” for his key role in the car’s development with BMW. In a recent interview with Philippine-based automotive site Autoindustriya.com, Tada-san, as he’s frequently known, reflected on the possibilities of both potentially adding the next BMW M3’s more powerful inline-six-cylinder engine or a stick shift to his baby.
“If you had to choose between the S58 twin turbo or introducing the manual transmission, which would have the higher priority?” Tada-san told Autoindustriya.com. “With regard to upgrades, there is an order we can introduce things in…the only question is in what order should we go with?”
“I really want to hear what you guys want the absolute most,” Tada-san said.
The Supra, in case you’d forgotten, currently offers a sole powertrain: a turbocharged inline-six sourced from BMW, connected to an eight-speed ZF-made transmission (the same gearbox found in almost every Bimmer on sale today). While the engine is officially rated at 335 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque, independent tests have found cranks out way more power than rated — roughly on the order of 10-15% more ponies, and 25-30% more torque.
Which would you rather have? Let us know in the poll below.
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