The Last Call On Japanese Turbo-Six Manuals Comes Down To These Two Icons
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Monday, 21 Sep 2026 02:30 0 10 autotech
What’s in an iconic Japanese sports car? Well, they do have some rear mid-engine offerings like the Acura NSX, but the true formula lies in a different layout entirely. They are typically front engine, rear-wheel drive with a turbo-boosted, six-cylinder engines featuring manual transmission. Manual transmissions themselves are a dying breed, not only in Japanese sports cars, but also in sports cars in general. It could be said that a manual transmission bridges the gap between driver and machine.
Two of the most iconic sports cars made by Japanese automakers are the Toyota Supra (in this case, the modern GR Supra) and the Nissan Z. Not only are we in an era of deleting all things manual transmission, but we’re also in an era of nostalgia. These are also two entirely different powerhouses.
2026 Toyota GR Corolla front 3/4 shot parked in studioToyota
Among the entire Japanese sports car lineup — the GR Corolla, the BRZ, the MX-5 — only two still offer what enthusiasts consider the complete package: a turbocharged six-cylinder and a manual gearbox. And both are living on borrowed time. The Toyota GR Supra 3.0 and the Nissan Z are the last two of this dying segment. Both offerings do come with an automatic transmission that ends up being faster than their manual counterparts, but nothing compares to the feeling of being able to downshift on your own accord. Even though these are the last two remaining turbocharged six-cylinder Japanese powerhouses, they couldn’t be more different from each other.
The GR Supra Borrows BMW’s Best And Makes It Sharper
Rear shot of a 2026 Toyota GR Supra driving down roadToyota
The Toyota GR Supra started development in 2012. Eight years later, in 2020, the GR Supra was born. It’s considered to be the fifth generation of the iconic name badge, but has a German twist to it. It has been lauded for basically being a BMW Z4 with a Toyota badge on it. Of course, it is that at the core, but this was a smart move on Toyota’s part as it is a precise sports car that absolutely tears the tarmac apart. One of the smartest choices was to employ the iMT six-speed manual transmission, which has shortened gear ratios and offers intuitive downshifts. It also offers a near perfect 50–50 weight distribution.
The Nissan Z Brings Old-School Muscle To A Modern Body
2026 Nissan Z Front 3/4Nissan
Of the two, this could be considered the muscle car. It has raw power and a retro design that harkens back to the Fairlady as well as the 300ZX of the 90s. It features a long hood and a rear fascia that resembles Zs of yesteryear. It employs a torque-happy rear-wheel drive drivetrain with a more comfortable grand touring ride.
It’s made more for those who want to do donuts in a parking lot or power-slide around corners. If you actually want a track-focused version, you can opt for the Nismo variant that’s even more powerful and offers an oil cooler among other track-happy features. But for all their personal differences, the real story is under the hood — and these two engines couldn’t be more philosophically opposed.
Same Displacement, Opposite Philosophies: How BMW’s Inline-Six Differs From Nissan’s Twin-Turbo V6
2026 Nissan Z WheelNissan
These are two completely different engines, but offer the same philosophy. One is a single twin-scroll turbocharged inline six-cylinder, while the other is a twin-turbocharged V6. The Nissan ends up making more horsepower, but the Toyota is notorious for being underrated outside of the factory. The Toyota GR Supra offers its full torque output around 1,800 RPM. The Nissan Z, on the other hand, builds boost sequentially that is more rev-dependent.
The B58 Is One Of BMW’s Greatest Engines — And It Makes The Supra Feel Naturally Aspirated
2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final Edition engineToyota
If we had to guess, one of the main reasons that Toyota chose BMW for its core architecture is BMW’s incredible engines. A legendary sports car deserves a legendary engine and the B58 is one of BMW’s best modern engines. It’s a 3.0-liter inline turbocharged six-cylinder and is considered one of the most durable turbocharged six-cylinders on the market. It has a twin-scroll architecture that eliminates turbo lag and delivers an instantaneous acceleration feel. To that end, it almost feels like a naturally aspirated engine.
The VR30DDTT Shares GT-R DNA And Delivers An Old-School Tuner Power Surge
2026 Nissan Z EngineNissan
Nissan powertrains are some of the best. The VR30DDTT is one of the most iconic engines that they make. It’s a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that shares a lineage with the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport and the infamous GT-R. This engine has recirculating speed sensors plus electronic wastegate actuators that help the dual turbochargers spin up quickly. This gives it an incredible surge of boost. Even though this is a modern engine, the VR30 has been reported to feel a bit more analog than most and offers an old-school Japanese tuner power feel.
Driver Focused Chassis
2026 Nissan Z Rear 3/4Nissan
Something that isn’t talked about enough in sports cars and cars in general is that the chassis really does make all the difference in driving abilities. The Supra has a seriously stiff, bespoke coupe platform that was co-developed with BMW. The Nissan Z, on the other hand, has a platform based on the 370Z, which is a revitalized variant of the front midship (FM) platform. Even though the Supra is a little less powerful than the Z, it is also lighter with ~3,400 pounds of curb weight to speak of compared to the Z’s ~3,500 to 3,535. This also impacts performance and agility. There’s also the wheelbase to take into consideration, where the Supra is much shorter at 97.2 inches compared to the Z’s 100.4 inches.
Rear-Wheel Drive Powerhouses
2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final Edition rear driving shotToyota
These are both rear-wheel drive titans. That means there is forced-induction torque that goes straight to the rear wheels. You have to be a skilled driver to manage this kind of traction (or lack thereof) to get out of corners. Both have limited-slip differentials, but the Supra has an electronic rear differential.
The Nissan Z, on the other hand, has a mechanical clutch-style LSD setup. Because the Z is more mechanical, it offers much less traction, giving you the ability to power slide it without even breaking a sweat. The Supra, on the other hand, lets go of traction when the engine is truly pushed.
Track-Tuned Suspensions
Front 3/4 shot of a 2026 Toyota GR Supra driving down desert roadToyota
Both have different variations of a track-style suspension system. The Toyota GR Supra 3.0 features an adaptive variable suspension that has instantaneous stiffening for the track or a softer road setting. The Nissan Z offers a traditional passive dampening system. The Toyota could be considered more track-focused because of its rigid aluminum control arms and reinforced subframe mountings. All of this said, the Toyota Supra on paper has a more rigid suspension than the Z, which is considered more of a grand touring vehicle. For the brakes, the Supra has a Brembo four-piston setup, and the Z has a performance Akebono four-piston setup as well.
Last Call For Analog, Japanese Performance
If you’ve been living under a rock, you’d be surprised to find out that the Toyota GR Supra is having its final production year for 2026. This means that this iconic generation has only been on sale for six years. The Nissan Z is still going strong with a 2027 model, but the jury is still out on whether it will continue. This leaves the mantle up to the Z. Whether or not the Z stays, this whole comparison is a testament to the last call of a dying segment. Everything is going toward dual-clutch automatics, mandatory safety equipment, and electrification that does not offer any traditional transmission to speak of (except maybe the Taycan or the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s AR transmission).
Retro Is In
A 2026 Nissan Z and Datsun 240Z driving on an open roadNissan
Both of these models were sort of swan songs in their own right. The Nissan Z might as well be a modern version of the Datsun 240 Z. The GR Supra, on the other hand, looks more like the Mark IV compared to any other past variant. What it preserved more was the classic layout rather than the actual shape and design itself. The Supra has been thrust fully into the future with a digital cockpit, compared to the Nissan Z’s preservation of its triple auxiliary dashboard gauges.
Could These Be Collectibles?
2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final EditionAmee Reehal | TopSpeed
Out of the two, the MkV Supra 3.0 manual might be the most future classic worthy. Not only is it being discontinued this year, but it has had a durable engine put in it and features a last call special edition. Being that the Nissan Z is in high production and has had several variants since the 90s, this one might not be the case. Maybe 20 to 30 years from now, it will be considered a collectible, but certainly not within the next 10.
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