Following years of teasing, Toyota has finally revealed official photographs and details of its upcoming "affordable" sportscar. Developed in conjunction with sister company Subaru, the newcomer will not be called the FT-86 as initially thought, but the GT 86. In Japan, it will simply be the "86".
The GT 86 makes its world debut at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show this month along with the Subaru BRZ, and is destined to reach South Africa around May/June next year. Toyota SA is apparently very keen to price the car around the R300 000 mark. As can be seen on the photographs, it is a striking vehicle with a sporty two-seats only interior. Toyota promises many opportunities for modification.
Along with the photographs, Toyota also announced a few details. The standard model will be powered by a Subaru-sourced direct-injection 2,0-litre boxer engine that delivers 147 kW at 7 000 r/min and 205 N.m of torque at 6 600. There are no official performance claims yet, but Toyota has stated that it wants a sub-eight second 0-100 km/h sprint time from the vehicle. A six-speed manual transmission is fitted.
The GT 86 rides on 17-inch wheels as standard and is 4 240 mm long, 1 285 mm high and 2 570 mm wide. It is, of course, rear-wheel driven, and features a 53:47 front to rear weight distribution and a low (475 mm) centre of gravity.