Toyota's new GT 86 sports car debuts at Tokyo Motor Show

(November 29, 2011) The anticipation is over. Toyota’s new GT 86 sports car makes its world debut at the Tokyo motor show Wednesday. The compact 2+2 model, one of the most keenly awaited new cars of the coming year, will go on sale in the UK in June 2012.

It will be badged as the 2013 Scion FR-S in the United States. And it will also live as the Subaru BRZ. It has been displayed in concept form over the past couple of years as the FT-86.



The GT 86 has been conceived as an entirely driver-focused machine, designed to deliver the core qualities of the classic sports car experience. That means precise, instant response to the smallest throttle and steering inputs and the kind of performance that appeals to those for whom driving is a passion, not a necessity.

The GT 86 is built on a new platform, with a highly aerodynamic bodyshell stretched tight over the car’s mechanical elements. Rather than fitting a heavy, large capacity powertrain, Toyota has opted instead to go back to its sporting roots, installing a compact, front-mounted, free-revving petrol engine that drives the rear wheels.

In European trim, the four-cylinder “boxer” unit generates 197 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and maximum torque of 151 pound-feet of torque at 6,600 rpm pulling less than 3,000 pounds giving the GT 86 brisk, engaging performance.

The powertrain is matched to the world’s most compact four-seat design to create a car that benefits from light weight, low inertia and a low center of gravity to achieve the best possible power-to-weight ratio. For the driver that means lively, accessible performance and dynamic character with minimal intrusion from electronic systems.

The GT 86 measures167 inches long with a 101-inch wheelbase, dimensions which make it the most compact four-seater sports car available today.

Both the powertrain and the driving position have been set as low and as far back as possible to achieve the best balance.