Automotive World

For some reason Toyota has decided to name the car simply 86 in Japan and GT 86 in Europe, while the same or possibly slightly different variant with the Scion badge will be marketed as the FR-S in North America.

The key facts about the 86 include a front-mounted Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter boxer engine pushing 200-horses towards the rear axle through a short-shift six-speed manual gearbox (or a 6-speed automatic) and an available limited slip differential.

Toyota has not yet released full specifications, but a leaked brochure revealed that the JDM version tips the scales at 1,210kg (2,668 pounds) in basic trim and at 1,230kg (2,711 pounds) in the second trim level.

The first clip is from a quick spin around the Fuji Speedway racetrack, while the second video includes a more comprehensive test drive from a Japanese car magazine that provides us with a more in-depth look at the sights and sounds of the 86 as well as in a wider palette of colors.

Toyota is highly optimistic about the '86', which it describes as an "entirely driver-focused sports car, designed to recapture the fundamental joys of motoring".

The Japanese firm's recipe includes a 200HP naturally-aspirated engine mounted up front matched to a six-speed manual (or 6sp automatic) and a limited slip differential driving the rear wheels, and a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution.

In Europe, the new Toyota will be called the GT 86 in tribute to the Japanese firm's GT car heritage and especially the Corolla GT (or Levin) AE86, which inspired its creation. The Japanese domestic market version will be aptly called 86.

The GT 86 is the result of a joint Toyota and Subaru development programme that will spawn two more models, the global Subaru BRZ that will also make its debut in Tokyo next week in production trim, and the North American market Scion FR-S.

All three cars will share the same platform and mechanical hardware including the Subaru-sourced flat-four, with only minor styling differences between them.

The story of the GT 86 began in October 2009 with the unveiling of the first FT-86 Concept in Tokyo and was followed by the almost production ready FT-86 II concept at the 2011 Geneva motor show this past March.

We're going to give you the good news first: the Japanese company has just published a new promotional video on its upcoming rear-wheel drive coupe model. The bad news is that it doesn’t really show anything that we don't already know about the FT-86…

Aside from some kids playing around with first generation RWD Celica and 2000GT toy cars, the clip includes scenes shot from the development phase of the FT-86 as well as quick glimpses of the production model, which we've already seen through a series of leaked brochure shots.

No one knew who the man behind the wheel was. Only after he stepped out and formally introduced himself did they learn that it was the company’s CEO, Akio Toyoda. “I asked them if they like cars”, said Toyoda. “If they didn’t, they shouldn’t bother joining.”

When he assumed his duties in June 2009, the 55-year old grandson of Toyota’s founder said that he wanted his company to build cars that “made people happy”.

He did not know it at the time, but it was a rather unfortunate choice of words. Less than six months later, Toyota, which up to this point had built a reputation as a manufacturer of reliable cars, had to face the unintended acceleration safety issues in the U.S. that sprouted massive and costly recalls.

We only get a look at the 2012 BRZ's front end, but it is enough to spot some minor differences from the near-production study such as the reshaped bumper that drops the lip spoiler and gains more conventional grille bars and a pair of round fog lights under the turning signals, which are located in less prominent air vents.

These include catalogue shots of the FT-86 wearing parts from the Toyota Racing Development [TRD] division including a front grille surround with a matching apron, side skirts and a chunkier rear diffuser.

Cutting to the chase, the FT-86 measures 4,240mm (166.9-in.) long, 1,775mm wide (69.9-in.), and 1,285mm (50.6-in.) tall, while riding on a 2,570mm (101.2-in.) long wheelbase.

In its home market of Japan, the FT-86 is powered by a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four churning out 200-horses at 7,000 rpm and 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) of peak torque at 6,600 rpm. It is very likely that the output numbers will remain the same for the global Toyota FT-86 and the North American Scion FR-S.

Better make that a little over 24 hours as we just discovered yet another collection of scanned images on a Japanese forum, providing us with an even better look at the exterior design of Toyota's mainstream sports car.

While the previous photos showed us a Modellista-prepped version, this time we have the standard FT-86 with or without some optional accessories such as the front panel air vent trims and rear diffuser accents.

The first wave comes through a set of leaked brochure scans that seem to be legit. The FT-86 depicted in these pictures is the Japanese domestic market Modellista version that has been accessorized by Toyota's in-house customization company.

Among other bespoke features that you won't see on the base model is the exterior aero package that comprises of a front spoiler, beefier side skirts and a two-piece rear apron, along with the model-specific alloy wheels.