bmw concept car hybrid: toyota ft-86

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Toyota FT 86 Concept

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The Toyota FT-86 Concept is a concept car manufactured jointly by Toyota and Subaru. The vehicle consists of many design cues from the earlier FT-HS concept. All that is known about the car so far is that it will be a light front engine, rear drive, 4 or 5 seat coupé, with a new 2 litre Toyota-Subaru "D-4S" Boxer engine.
The FT-86 rides on a modified Subaru Impreza platform with 101.2-inch wheelbase, with length, width, and height measuring 163.8, 69.3, and 49.6 inches, respectively.A base price in the US$20,000 range is expected when the car hits the market with the Subaru version following shortly afterwards.
It is expected that the Toyota and Subaru versions will be styled similarly on the outside, with the Subaru version getting different head and tail lights and a different hood. It has a 2.0 litre naturally aspirated boxer engine mated to a Subaru 6-speed manual transmission.The concept is fitted with brakes from Advics, a joint venture company formed between Aisin Seiki, Denso, Sumitomo Electric and Toyota.
According to chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, the unique shoujyouhi red colour was based on the colour of a Japanese monkey's backside.
The FT-86 Concept was first shown at the Oct 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and the first showing outside of Japan was at the March 2010 Geneva Motor Show.An enhanced version called the FT-86 G Sports Concept was shown at the January 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon as part of the Toyota G Sports range.
At the Oct 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Jim Lentz, COO and President of Toyota Motor Sales USA confirmed that the production version of the FT-86 is scheduled to be sold in America but an actual date was not yet disclosed.However, at the March 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Toyota Europe announced that the production version of the vehicle will be released in November 2011.
On 2 September 2010, English (British) car magazine AutoExpress reported the Subaru model will feature an all-wheel drive drivetrain as opposed to the salient feature of rear-wheel drive for the Toyota-badged model. It is reported the Subaru model will have a greater rear-axle torque bias. The feature of an F4 layout would also be fully coherent with the model policy and mechanical characteristics of all Subaru cars of the past 30 years.
Toyota Europe presented the FT-86 II Concept at the March 2011 Geneva Motor Show as the successor to the FT-86 Concept.

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Toyota FT 86 Concept

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

2011Toyota FT-86 II Concept

Toyota has revealed photos of the second iteration of its FT-86 Concept car that is said to be very close to the actual production version due to go on sale in 2012. The Geneva Motor Show FT-86 II features several styling differences over the original concept shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

First off, Toyota's designers restyled the coupe's profile by eliminating the lower swoop line and adding a new beltline that starts from the front wheel arch with a cheesy air vent and finishes off on the tip of the rear window, which itself has grown in size. In addition, Toyota also split the front window and abolished the blacked out A-Column finish, while the rear wheel arches are more pronounced and there are new side rocker panels.

At the front end there's a new bumper with a larger center grille and more concave surfaces on both corners, while Toyota also threw in a pair of gaudy looking LED daytime running lights.

Finally, Toyota revamped the FT-86's rear end with new standalone, protruding tail lamps and a different treatment for the bumper that houses a more pronounced diffuser and large tail pipes on either side. The re-sculptured boot lid and the fitment of a fixed wing round off the styling changes.

The overall feeling we get is that Toyota went all 'Fast and Furious' with the FT-86's redesign making the coupe look unnecessary busy and ultimately, far less sleek compared to the original concept.

The company said the new concept measures 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, meaning it has grown 75mm in length, 35mm in width, and 10mm in height while riding on the same 2,570mm long wheelbase as the FT-86 I.

The rest of the specs remain a secret for now as the only details we know for sure is that the FT-86 will get a Subaru-sourced boxer engine with power being delivered to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The same setup will be used on Subaru's version of the FT-86 that was also on display at the Geneva Motor Show, albeit with a see-through plastic body.

As always, we'd like to hear what you have to say about the FT-86 II in our comments section below.