Toyota FT-86 Concept – say ‘hachi roku’

Toyota will show the FT-86 Concept (hachi roku) – a compact two-door sports car – built in collaboration with Subaru at the Tokyo Motor Show.

In recent years Toyota has become a somewhat boring car maker. It makes cars very well, it’s just that they’re not exactly inspiring or exciting. So it looks as if they’re taking the bull by the horns and Toyota’s French-based design studio has produced the FT-86 Concept, which Toyota are going to show at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The FT-86 (hachi roku is Japanese for 86) is a small (13′ 8″ long) rear-wheel drive sports coupe which is going to turn up not just as a Toyota but also as a Subaru. It uses the 2.0 Boxer engine found in the Impreza, but by the time it finds its way to market in 2011 – as both a Toyota and a Subaru – it’s likely to get the next generation Boxer lump.

The FT-86 is Toyota’s way of launching itself back in to the sports market – a market it once did well in with cars like the MR2 – and gain some credibility, and custom, from younger drivers. The FT-86 is pitched as a substantially sub-£20k car, with a target price in Japan of 2 million Yen, but is likely to be around £17.5k when it reaches the UK.

Lack of a suitable engine – and the bean counters – has kept Toyota out of the sports market for a number of years, but the collaboration with Subaru has made the FT-86 viable, and will also offer the chance to produce a higher performance turbo version of the Ft-86.

The press release from Toyota is very short on detail – just a few lines –

The FT-86 (“86” pronounced “hachi roku”), a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car, provides driving joy and excitement.

Compact design gives driver greater control, while body’s lightness and low center of gravity allow racecar-like handling

Both power and environmental performance provided by 2-liter boxer engine and light body

Flash Red body color contains hint of blue; interior expresses modern feel with minimal coverage of the highly refined structural components evoking enthusiasm for cruising

But it’s good to see a car maker revealing a new car that doesn’t have a hybrid or plug-in lump.