Car Throttle

It's a day I never thought would come.  After numerous teaser concept cars, the production version of the Toyota FT-86 is here.  First of all, it's going to be called the GT-86 in Europe, and just "86" in Japan.  The US version is still likely to be marketed as a Scion (probably called the FR-S), and there will be a Subaru version (for now being called the BR-Z, although we'll find out soon enough.)  Regardless of what it's called or where it's sold, the Toyobaru/Subieyota is finally coming into focus as a production car, and we have some of the greasy details and real pictures to share with you. A lot of these details are probably things you've already heard, but here are the basics. 

This is another question that came to me randomly in traffic. A lot of them come this way in bumper to bumper 5 o'clock traffic.  I was waiting at a red light behind a dark green Toyota MR2 Spyder, and I realized that they don't make anything funky any more.  The MR2 was an anomoly on Toyota's map, though - they've got their business model these days (Hybrids + Appliances + Quality = Profits) and they're doing it quite well. The MR2 was really cool.  It used really basic mechanical components (actually the engine and transaxle from the Corolla turned around the other way) in a delicately balanced mid-engine rear drive package.  It was quite a handler: with 50/50 weight distribution, a 96.5" wheelbase, a 2195lb

Sometimes I imagine the entire Toyota Corporation is a single, evil person. I want to grab them by the lapel, and shake them violently while screaming "You're the biggest car brand in the world!  You can engineer ANYTHING! When the technology to lay carbon fibre in a cylinder for the A-pillar of your supercar didn't exist, you INVENTED it!  Stop building more boring hybrids, and make a car that car people want and can afford!"  It seems like I'm not the only person that feels that way, because Toyota is trying to convince us it's got the point by teasing us repeatedly with FT-86 Toyobaru this, RWD that, and so far nothing has come of it.

My, what a big diffuser you have.

Since Toyota's acquisition of a 17.1% stake in Subaru's parent company Fuji Heavy Industries in 2008, the automotive press has speculated by a sports car developed between the two. The FT-86 Concept at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2009 previewed Toyota's version of the car. We haven't heard much from Subaru until a recent confirmation of a concept coming to the Geneva Motor Show. Now it's Toyota's turn, confirming an FT-86 for the Geneva Motor Show. Notice A FT-86 not THE FT-86, because the new car is just a concept once again. It is dubbed the FT-86 Concept II, and promises to be much closer to the final production version. We just want to see the production car already though. Toyota, with a spate

Toyota, at one time seemingly viewed by consumers and the media as "invincible", had seen a lot of issues plague it over the past few years. Aside from the unintended acceleration fiasco, Toyota has also seen itself trending upward in buyer age. To us, there is an easy explanation - product. President Akio Toyoda has supposedly set out to fix that, and one of the signs of that realization was the FT-86 Concept at last year's Tokyo Auto Show. The FT-86 Concept is a vehicle that looks very close to production, and offers a compelling specifications list. A price tag in the $20K range, two-doors and a rear-wheel drive layout is something that appeals to enthusiasts. At the time, production was pegged as a certainty. Not a whole

Not much time has passed since the introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota was no doubt the winner of the show, debuting two performance models, the Toyota FT-86 Concept and the Lexus LFA. The former probably of the most interest to performance enthusiasts (unless you have $375,000.....and even then). So we know the FT-86 concept is a lock for production and now speculation is turning to what it will be named. FT-86 is obviously not the final production name, with the moniker chosen to pay homage to the Toyota Corolla AE-86 GT. The names under consideration, as reported by Autocar and The Detroit Bureau are Celica and surprisingly - Scion tC?  In producing the FT-86, Toyota's goal is to make a vehicle

I'm sure this has been said during every era of automotive history at one point or another. Perhaps not during the mid-seventies, but otherwise technology continues to march on, and everything continues to get better.  And the way it is now, and the way it's going to be soon, is easily as good as it's ever been.  Even though the news seems to be overwhelmingly negative these days with regards to the automotive industry, (anyone know any companies with increased sales and healthy numbers lately?) this only really has a little to do with the products themselves and more with the overall condition of the economy as it stands. The products themselves are easily the best they've ever been.  Competition seems to grow stronger and stronger by

The biggest launch at the Tokyo Auto Show is undoubtedly the Toyota FTT-86 Concept. The FT-86 is an exciting development for those looking for a RWD performance bargain, something that has been lacking in the overall market but particularly from Toyota. The company seems to be recognizes it needs to up the ante if it wants to attract the younger, performance-oriented buyers it needs for the future. Prior to the launch of the FT-86, there was a lot of speculation about there being two variations of the car. Toyota's stake in Subaru is what  FT-86 to be produced, as the car was co-developed with Subaru and makes use of the hallmark Subaru "Boxer" 4-cylinder engine. It's only fitting then that Subaru would get it's own model. Enthusiasts are