TOYOTA GR SUPRA

It excels at weekends away but daily use is starting to highlight a few wrinkles

- JAMES ATTWOOD

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT

To find out how much a good three-pedal gearbox can improve a modern sports car with a classic flavour

Road test editor Matt Saunders happily took delivery of our long-term Toyota Supra manual but, thanks to a bit of shuffling, I've equally happily taken over custody of it. Just one problem: I haven't seen all that much of it.

Having the keys to a Supra makes you very popular in the Autocar office, with plenty of requests to borrow it for long weekends or holidays. So recently the Supra has been across the Cotswolds, down to Cornwall, over to Belgium and more, but sadly all without me driving. Still, my colleagues have all returned the keys with smiles on their faces - and tales of long, motorway-dodging detours, just because.

My outings in the Supra have been more prosaic, such as the odd commute, supermarket trips, a few airport runs and a jaunt down the M4 and M5 to visit family in Somerset. Menial stuff, but honestly enlivened by the Supra: it's got that GT-esque ability to add a dash of fun to even the dullest of journeys.