OFFICIAL: Toyota shows the dark side of the force with FT-86 II concept in Geneva. As previously announced, the Toyota FT-86 II concept had its world debut at the 2011 Geneva auto show today, paying homage to great Toyota sports cars of the past. The Japanese carmaker mentions the fact that the Toyota FT-86 II concept is the closest one yet to the production version of the vehicle. Toyota's new FT-86 II concept is 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, and has a 2,570mm wheelbase.
Beneath it's skin, the 2011 Toyota FT-86 II concept is the same as the previous one, featuring the same engine developed in collaboration with Subaru.
With a boxer engine under its hood, the Toyota FT-86 II has a front-engine rear-wheel drive architecture, which will most definitely benefit from its compact and lightweight design. The engine of the FT-86 II will be coupled with a six-speed manual transmission, emphasizing the sporty character of the vehicle.
Even though the price for the production version FT-86 has not been announced, Toyota says its production version will take over the streets from 2012.
Toyota Press Release:
The new Toyota FT-86 II Concept makes its world debut at the Geneva motor show, giving the clearest indication yet as to the final design of Toyota’s next sports car. It marks a return to the passion for driving that has inspired great Toyota cars of the past, starting with the legendary 2000 GT in the 1960s.
With its long, low bonnet, high wings and rear-set cabin, the Toyota FT-86 II pays homage to Toyota’s sports car history and is an entirely driver-oriented concept.
It was created at Toyota’s European design studio ED2, where its styling was dubbed ‘functional beauty’: its bold, sweeping form has been generated purely according to the constraints of function and aerodynamics.
The low, highly aerodynamic bodyshell is stretched tight over the engineering hard points, with the muscular bodywork rendered as compact as possible. The concept measures 4,235mm long, 1,795mm wide and 1,270mm high, with a long, 2,570mm wheelbase.
Rather than using a heavy, large displacement powertrain to secure performance, the FT86 II returns to Toyota’s sporting roots by combining a free-revving boxer petrol engine with a compact and lightweight six-speed manual transmission and a low center of gravity to achieve the best possible power to weight ratio.
Both the powertrain and the driving position have been set as low and as far back as possible to optimize balance for maximum poise, high-speed stability and agility. With a front-engine/rear-wheel drive configuration, this gives the car lively, accessible performance that is easy to harness and enjoy.
The Toyota FT-86 II Concept is the latest stage
in the development of a new, compact rear-wheel drive sports car that is being jointly developed by Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru). The new model will be launched in Europe in 2012.
