The official unveiling of the Scion FR-S is scheduled for later today, but that hasn’t prevented images from turning up on the internet ahead of time. The car that will be revealed in New York today is officially listed as a concept, so read into that what you will. The styling has been toned down a bit from the FT-86 II Concept that Toyota displayed in Geneva, but the latest concept looks a long way from production to me. The blacked out windows say “don’t expect an accurate rendering of a production interior”, while the sharply arched and creased front fenders would be difficult (expensive, actually) to put into production. As Autoblog’s Zach Bowman points out, those enormous wheels will never see production and the side view mirrors can’t meet DOT standards.
So where does that leave the FT-86? The truth is that no one knows. Maybe it will show up on these shores wearing a Toyota badge, or maybe it will show up here as a Scion. Maybe it will look like one of the recent concepts, or maybe it won’t. Maybe it will be released for sales in 2012, but if this is what Toyota is showing us this late in the game, chances of a 2012 intro aren’t good. I’m still holding out hope that Toyota gets this car right, but it gets harder to believe that each and every time I write a story about it.
Source: SpeedHunters, via Autoblog
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.
