European Auto Group has finally created the world's first 2020 Toyota Supra with a manual transmission. Since Toyota isn't planning to offer one, EAG took matters into its own hands by swapping in a BMW-sourced six-speed manual. EAG is charging $12,000 for the manual swap and you can also add a warranty since the Toyota factory one will be voided.

We had a chance to talk to EAG owner Art Bartosik shortly after the car was brought to the show stand at SEMA. The car was initially planned to come with a new dashboard as well, but Bartosik said, "once we were able to get the shifter assembly in the cabin and place a shift knob on it, we found that these items did not get in the way and leaving it as stock as possible was the best solution."

"The only modification we made to the center console was cutting the space out for the shifter boot and lowering the parking brake, Toyota Assist, Sport, and Auto Stop/Start buttons. We left the navigation buttons as they came from the factory and the shifter does not intrude on these controls. The factory knee support even gives you a nice hand rest when you aren't shifting," Bartosik added.

As for how the car feels with the manual in place, Bartosik enthused that: "the transmission is very smooth and the clutch feel and release is right in the middle of the throw, so the car is very easy to drive. Just taking it out for a quick test drive before sending the car on transport to SEMA, I instantly craved more. This car should have come in a manual from the get-go, it really makes the car," he said.

EAG sourced the manual with the help of several sponsor companies including Sussex Auto Parts, HydraTest UK, and Go4Trans.com. The transmission comes from a BMW 520d, as Bartosik said the choices were limited because the B58C inline-six has the starter location at the bottom of the bell housing instead of underneath the intake manifold like on BMW models in the US. But there is a huge advantage to using a diesel transmission instead of one from a gas-powered car.

Since the transmission was built for high-torque applications, Bartosik said, "we are confident in the transmission holding 1,000 wheel horsepower and torque. We would just need to replace the 3.15 final drive with a 4.10 final drive to match the speed of the eight-speed automatic."

Theoretically, this gearing with just 800 hp would bring the car to an estimated top speed of around 215 to 220 mph, which Bartosik said is "very tempting." As for actually attempting these speeds, Bartosik said EAG is in talks with companies who would like to "get this car to break some records" with a big turbo build.

After SEMA is over, Bartosik said EAG will explore potential tuning and rear differential options for the car, so owners can increase the power in addition to having a manual transmission. EAG will also experiment with a few other BMW-sourced transmissions, closer to the ones used in the M2, M3, and M4. "With the Supra's tuning ability and selection of different transmission and final drive types, we will have the ability to custom tailor each Supra to specific customer needs," Bartosik said.

EAG's manual Supra will be on display at SEMA at booth 20161 between YouTuber Stradaman and Ford Motors.