Toyota GT86: GRMN Sports FR Platinum Concept revealed (video)

The latest Toyota GT 86 by Gazoo Racing – the GRMN Sports FR Platinum Concept – has been revealed at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon.

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At the Tokyo Motor Show this week there were a total of five concept versions of the Toyota GT86, showing not only how customisable Toyota’s cracking little sports car is, but hopefully also pointing towards a more powerful production version of both the GT86 and Subaru BRZ.

The most interesting is a GT86 that comes from Gazoo Racing – a part of Toyota – which was teased last week and gets the same sort of power upgrades as the Gazoo GT86 we saw turn up at Le Mans and Goodwood last year – the GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum.

The GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum gets a new front bumper and headlights with air vents on the bonnet, new back bumper and tail lights and a thumping great wing on the back. The wheel arches are flared and vented and house a set of 18″ alloys and the sills get a touch of butch.

Inside, the GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum is all very track with a full roll cage, four-point belts, race spec steering wheel and all the bits you’d need to blat the GT86 round a track.

But it’s under the bonnet that the most interesting bits lurk, with both a supercharger and turbo working to increase the relatively modest 197bhp of the regular GT86 by 50 per cent to a more appealing 325bhp with 318lb/ft of torque on tap. That power is driven to the back wheels through a six-speed manual ‘box and limited slip diff and there are tweaks to the suspension and brakes to cope with the additional power.

The GRMN Sports FR Platinum may not herald the imminent arrival  of a production Toyota GT86 Turbo or BRZ Turbo, bit it points firmly at an intent within Toyota to move in that direction. Soon.