Toyota FT-86
At the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show Toyota will present the FT-86 Concept, a lightweight four-seater coupé designed by Toyota Europe Design Development. What you see here is the marriage of Toyota design and Subaru engine technology. This is the joint Toyota/Subaru compact sports car we’ve heard so much about for the past year. It is powered by a 2 liter, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated unit, coupled with rear-wheel-drive, 6-speed manual transmission and ADVICS brakes.
The overall design is aggressive, but we wonder what the price will be for such a performance-oriented small car. If it encroaches on the new Genesis coupe’s $20,000-plus price tag, it might be a hard sell for American shoppers.A source close to Toyota tells us that while the FT-86's exterior design is sourced from Toyota Europe Design in France, two other prototypes also exist, one penned by head office in Toyota City and the other created by Calty Design Research in California.
Packed with enough emotional content to satisfy fans of the departed Supra, MR-2 and Celica, the Toyota FT-86 Concept is set to make its world debut at the company's 2009 Tokyo auto show stand on October 21. It's got eye-catching looks, a 2+2 layout, rear-wheel-drive, a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine, and a six-speed manual transmission. And a production version is due by late 2011.