BAY CITY, Michigan — Call it the Batmobile. The stealth fighter. The Black Widow.

Or, in long hand, the matte-black 2026 Toyota GR Supra MkV Final Edition. It’s the last hurrah for one of the most engaging, recognized, awarded sports cars in the U.S. market. My Final Edition tester was a paparazzi magnet on a weekend up north. In Charlevoix a Amazon delivery driver jumped out of his truck.

“I saw this come by down the block,” he said. “Do you mind if I take some photos?”

At a gas station, the driver at the next pump came over to ogle. “Nice car,” he drooled.

On I-75, an SUV shadowed me at 75 mph, its occupants hanging their smartphones out the window to take video.

On M-31, a Golf R tailed me to get a closer look.

Unlike many celebrities, however, the GR Supra MkV Final Editon can disappear from paparazzi when needed. Downshift from sixth to third. Revs at 4,500 in the meat of the torque band. Nail the throttle.

Goodbye.

BWAUUWWGH! With 382 horses unleashed under the hood, the G Supra exploded through the twisties. Intuitive steering. Big brakes for the next turn. Sticky Michelin Super Sport summer tires to keep the Batmobile planted. Exquisite manual shifter to row the smooth, BMW-sourced turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine.

The MkV Final Editon is, appropriately, the sum of the fifth-gen Supra’s six years of evolution.

Like Godzilla asleep in the earth’s crust for 17 years, the fifth-generation Supra (thus the MkV moniker) emerged in 2020 to remake the legend. Engineered from the ground up to compete as a race car in international GT3 series, the Supra picked up the GR badge in honor of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division. The 320-horsepower sports car was smaller, lighter, faster and — significantly — more affordable than its fourth-gen predecessor.

In today’s dollars, my $70K tester is more accessible than a $103K 1998 model (the last of the Gen 4s). More bark, less bite to the wallet.

In 2021 the GR Supra gained a turbo-4 variant for the first time (part of the affordability pitch, but the four-banger was dropped after the 2024 model year) — even as the signature inline-6 gained a whopping 62 horsepower for a total of 382. Better yet, the 2023 model gained a six-speed manual transmission (A much lamented omission when Gen 5 debuted in 2020). #SaveTheManuals.

382-horsepower, manual, black. Check check check. Add on bigger brakes, Alcantara leather seats, unique 19-inch wheels and carbon fiber tail. Voila! A must-have Final Edition.

Supra has aged well.

Jointly developed with the BMW Z4 roadster to save costs (an industry trend on low-volume autos; see the jointly developed Mazda Miata/Fiat 124 and Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ sports cars), Supra is a Bimmer dressed in a Supra-man cape.

Interior layout is excellent, the drivetrain silky smooth, steering-wheel ergonomics superb with rocker switch for cruise control and raised buttons for other functions so you never need take your eye off the road. A head-up display adds to the theme.

So rapidly are electronics moving, however, that some features are already outdated. The BMW iDrive rotary dial is an anachronism with the touchscreen, the navigation system feels a century old, and Supra doesn’t offer Android Auto connectivity — only Apple CarPlay.

Other details are on point.

Not only is there a wireless charging pad in the roomy console, but it is covered so your phone doesn’t fly into the footwell when carving corners, and the bolstered seats are both functional for track days and comfortable for long trips.

Oh, yes, you can take the Supra on road trips. Like a miniature version of the seventh-generation, front-engine Corvette, Supra is a hatchback with ample cargo room between its big, sexy rear hips.

"Can we fit our luggage in the Supra?” my son asked half-incredulously as I made arrangements to pick him up at Detroit Metro for a four-hour trip north. No doubt he was thinking of my Alfa Romeo 4C — another limited-edition sports car — that has so little cargo room we’d have to ship his bag by UPS to Charlevoix.

The Supra hatchback easily swallowed his carry-on bag, my laptop bag and a tennis bag for the weekend.

It’s a meaningful upgrade over the BMW Z4 Roadster, which is lovely but less utilitarian. Indeed, history will likely remember the Toyota — not the Bimmer — of these fraternal twins. How many Toyotas can you say that about? Supra made Car and Driver’s Top 10 list for three years. The Z4? Not once.

It’s deserved. The Supra was mobbed by paparazzi and not just because it was painted matte black. The design is stunning, daring. Those hips. The double-bubble roof. The looooong hood punctuated by a Formula One-inspired nose cone.

And it has the Gazoo Racing chops to go with it.

The rear hatch would be roomier were it not for a fat, horizontal silver brace for chassis stiffening. Two more braces are strapped across the engine bay. In the M-32 twisties west of Gaylord, Supra feels looser than the Z4 — a deliberate nod to Supra’s Fast and Furious drifting heritage.

That might make for fun drifting at a track day. But on public road,s Supra hugs the corners nicely to get the payoff: the glorious song of the turbocharged, inline 6-cylinder. Radio? I never turned it on during our trip north, so intoxicating was the sound.

The noise fills the cabin because Toyota spent little on sound-deadening materials. Tire noise is prevalent, especially on harsh Michigan concrete roads. Just shift to SPORT mode and drown it out with 6-cylinder rock ‘n’ roll.

“Owners have to take their Porsche 911 on track to appreciate how good it is,” said my friend and 911 owner Jon as I rolled up to his house in Charlevoix. “Same goes for Supra.”

Speaking of 911, the sun is setting on the Gen-5 GR Supra as Toyota ramps up a new halo for the brand: the GR GT supercar, which will go head-to-head against the 911 in international GT3 racing. It will be pricey, leaving a vacuum in Toyota’s performance lineup between the affordable $30K GR86 and the $300K GR GT.

Which means the 24,000-plus Gen-5 Supras sold in the U.S. the last five years will continue to be in demand.

When I rolled up to the Delta Airlines curb, I jumped out to help my son with his bag.

“Oh,” he smiled. “I thought that might be Bruce Wayne rolling up.”

Long live the Batmobile. Long live Supra.

2026 Toyota GR Supra

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-passenger sports car

Price: $59,595 base, including $1,195 destination fee ($73,210 MkV Final Edition as tested)

Powerplant: 382 horsepower, 368 pound-feet of torque, turbocharged inline six-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, six-speed manual

Performance: 3.9-4.2-second zero-60 (mfr.); 160 mph top speed

Weight: 3,389 pounds (manual as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 19 city/26 highway/21 combined (manual); 22 city/29 highway/25 combined (automatic); range, 356 miles (manual as tested)

Report card

Highs: Hatchback utility; inline-6 soundtrack

Lows: Dated electronics; ticket magnet

Overall: 4 stars

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