Toyota's FT-86 II concept. Image: Toyota
If Japan’s Best Car magazine is correct, Toyota will show a production version of the FT-86 sports coupe as soon as this year’s Tokyo Motor Show. Held in December, the Tokyo Motor Show is usually considered one of the industry’s most significant, and it’s often used by Japanese manufacturers to highlight both concept and new production vehicles. Toyota showed a re-styled FT-86 II at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and the concept met with mixed reviews. Some (like myself) felt that it was too busy and departed from the clean lines of the original prototype. Others (likely Toyota’s target demographic) liked the edgy styling of the FT-86 II.
Image: Toyota
If the car does debut in Tokyo, look for sales to begin within a few months (let’s say late spring, 2012). We still don’t know if the car will be sold here as a Toyota or as a Scion, and we don’t know what the final horsepower number of the Subaru sourced boxer engine will be. Speaking of Subaru, they’ve been strangely silent about their own version of the car, said to come in higher-output turbo flavor with an AWD drivetrain. I’ll go out on a limb and make this prediction now: if Toyota is showing a production version of the FT-86 in Tokyo, look for Subaru to roll theirs out at the same time.
Source: 4 Wheels News
Also, don’t forget that you can get discounted new car pricing with a free quote through qualified local dealer partners.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
