Carmakers usually drive both enthusiasts and, more importantly, the automotive press crazy with teasers of their next vehicles, especially new ones. Toyota and Subaru, in an unusual move, have released so much information and images of their co-developed FT-86 sports car concept (including test drives!) that we’re not expecting any surprises during the official debut this month.
Here’s what we know so far. Subaru has already announced its model will be sold under the BRZ moniker in the U.S. In the meantime, the Toyota production model in Japan will be the GT 86, while in the U.S., it will be sold at Scion dealerships as the FR-S.
Both the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 coupes use a front-engine, rear-wheel drive configuration, giving them a near 50/50 percent weight balance on the road, very important for a true sports car. Power is delivered by flat-4 engine with advanced fuel injection estimated at 200 horsepower, mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission; a six-speed automatic will be available. There was some controversy if the Subaru BRZ would be available as a turbo, but the automaker has nixed that idea (for now).
Pricing, as you can imagine, has not been released for the Toyota version, regardless of what it’s called. However, according to Autocar, Toyota insiders speculate the GT 86 will be priced around the low $40,000 for the European market. Now, before you Yanks fall over your obese arses in shock (or heart attacks), a comparable Mazda Miata MX-5 starts around $31,220; the Mazda3 MPS (called the Mazdaspeed3 in the U.S.) starts around $36,000; and the BMW 135i M Sport approaches $50,000.
Check out the following videos of the Toyota GT 86 in action. We especially like the first one:
From Toyota FT-86 Concept to GT 86
Toyota GT 86 Test Drive
Toyota GT 86 Driving Scenes
Sources: Autocar, Toyota, Youtube
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