Production Toyota FT-86 Details and Design Previewed by Toyota Sports Vehicle Boss

[ft86cbx]

Motor Report details further information it has picked up from a meeting between Club4AG.com founder Motohide Miwa and Toyota Sports vehicle boss Tetsuya Tada

It's two years on from the unveiling of the FT-86 concept and still five months until the production version makes its debut in Tokyo, but new details of Toyota's new rear-wheel-drive coupe appear to have come to light.

Information passing around Toyota enthusiast forums this week, if accurate, reveals what many have hoped: the FT-86 may just be the car to herald Toyota's 'second renaissance'.

According to Club4AG.com founder Motohide Miwa, a recent invite-only event, reportedly with Toyota Sports vehicle boss Tetsuya Tada, revealed a number of new details of the new hero car, along with an on-screen unveiling of the production model.

Mechanically, Miwa says that while the engine is the Subaru-derived boxer engine already confirmed, it has been completely worked over at Toyota.

From a revised and re-cast engine block through to Yamaha tuning and Toyota's D-4S direct injection technology, it seems this is absolutely not your Impreza's engine.

Miwa describes a development program focused as much on the enthusiast as the casual buyer.

"The front dash has a beautiful sweeping line, and yet the front corners are recessed into the front window base," Miwa reported to the Club4AG online community.

"I asked why, and Tada-san replied 'It's so you can install a roll cage to regulations for many venues, without cutting up this dash'."

Miwa adds that Tada's team is so focused on weight and handling that buyers should even expect to do without a CD player and navigation. Whether those modern conveniences will appear in the options list, however, is unclear.

On the styling front, Toyota has already confirmed that the recent FT-86 II concept offers the best hint at the production model's look.

According to Miwa, we can expect the concept's 2000GT-inspired C-pillar to carry over, along with "a little more flavour" from the Scion FR-S concept and a sharper rear-end design.

"That's all I can tell you at this point," Miwa adds.

Time will tell as to the accuracy of the report. However when Akio Toyoda was made president of the 74 year-old Toyota Motor Company, the grandson of founder Kiichiro Toyoda, he promised to revitalise the company's entire line-up.

Most importantly, Toyoda also committed his company to developing a new entry-level rear-wheel-drive coupe. With each new report, the FT-86 is looking more tantalising.

And more details from Miwa on the FR-S / FT-86:

It actually looks better. Take the Original FT86 concept, and add a little more flavor from Scion project's FRS Concept, then smooth down the lines so that it's less tuner looking, and more OEM finesse. Retain the 2000GT C-Pillar, sharpen the tail. And that's how a final version will be. (That's all I can tell you at this point.)

The engine? It's still EJ20 based shape. But Toyota re-casted everything, even down to the engine block with a new design, and with the Yamaha acoustics assigned to make every pulse, beat, and soul of air and vibration to become something to spice performance and tactile feel. Not much is exactly shared with the Subaru engine except the flat four configurations. However, the external mounting points remain the same as the Subaru EJ20, shared for very obvious reasons. That is so YOU can use a Subaru engine to swap if you PREFER the Subaru engine for racing. Why bother with complex fabrication, if Subaru has something you can use from 11 years of WRC?

Everything about this car is BASIC, and PURE.

It's thought out for the aftermarket builders, racing operations, and not without YOU as enthusiast, the grassroots racers, custom builders, show car builders, and parking lot meet goers.

Take for example. The front dash has a beautiful sweeping line, and yet the front corners recessed into the front window base. I asked why... and Tada san replied... "It's so you can install a roll cage to regulations for many venues, without cutting up this dash"

There are many features that go deep into the same thinking... And although such matters of owner-customizations are in place, the vehicle is very refined as is out of the box. Never before, has such low-cost niche-car seen so much research, so much development budget, and resourced with so many talents.

It was met with many challenges of financiers, and business end departments due to the era, and in the wake of many events, from dismal sports car sales in general, Lehman Crisis rendering global spending decrease, and even natural disasters. Large corporations, even Toyota, are not immune to current trends of operating under strict adherence to the speculative finance and rules of the governments and stockholders.
However and despite the unforgiving global economic climate, in the last 5 years of development of the FT86, the best minds converged for this project. Mr.Haraguchi initially to select the key individuals fir for this task, and Tada assigned ultimately, oversee the project. Both are people from MR2 and AE86 projects in the past as well as 2nd Prius and other successful cars with future mind. To add to this, eventually along the process came, the resources and technology brought from the Lexus LFA program, Teams from Subaru including WRC minds of STi, and the whole time, forced and secured by the CEO of Toyota, regarding this as his own favorite development. Akio Toyoda is a proficient and enthusiastic driver and a big fan of this car, often dropping in to test drive it.

Akio has recently shocked the staff on Nurburgring, Testing out of the blue, and drew a whole crowd of officials in panic when he strapped himself into the FT86, and started to chase down a LFA Nur-Edition that was also testing concurrently by a different department. Slipping the tail masterfully around the wet Nurburgring track.... He loves the FT86 as much as we do...

When was the last time you saw a CEO of an auto firm do THAT!!
Well I just did... in a video no less.

Yes, Akio strapped in by TAKATA belts, grinning and jerking at the wheel in quick bursts of counter-steer, cooking the Nurburgring to his own liking, and screaming past the famous Castle down the last straight back to the pits as if he was shouting to the ghosts that live in the old castle. That was an awe-inspiring footage. The usually calm Mr.Toyoda seemed to be as epic as Mel Gibson shouting “FREEDOM”

Mr.Tada continues to travel, mostly in secret cloak, but magically appearing out of the blue in conversations like this afforded to people who can represent the fans and enthusiasm, that is all of us. He is almost like the Jason Bourne of Toyota Sports car development as I see it. Always in close contact with the CEO boss, taking care of his projects covertly at times, but free minded to conjure a car for the future, fending off opinions of conventions and bureaus. Mr.Tada, and his team, logged thousands of miles in the FT86 test mule, and he says it’s STILL not finished... 5 years, and still perfecting it every day, from materials of rubber bushings to see if steering feel can be improved or gas pedal to react more passionately, and details like equipment choices on the interior. In fact, this meeting was immediately after he was shaking it down in Arizona in the massive heat...to see it through that this car will outlast the most abusive of us in what he calls madness. I assume that to be our crazy tendencies to attend silly events where we burn rear tires all day long. But yes, he has that in mind for us…

What if I told you that FT86 has NO CD player, and no Navigation screen? It's entirely possible...

He figured we'd all have smart-phones to tell us where we're going by 2012, and all we need is an FM radio to tell us if the world is ending. And for all other times on the road, he's like us to listen to your favorite iPOD, or the beautiful sounds emanating from the exhaust system specifically designed for this car by the best ears at Yamaha Acoustic Instruments company. All this, while sitting in seats made in collaboration with the best aftermarket and OE racing operations and sports car makers.

Affordable, yes, that is one of the first priorities. However, nothing about the car from what I saw in the photos looked CHEAP... The car may be affordable, but all the key ingredients like simple, functional interior, wrapped in very neat fabrics?

All of this and much more I can't say... All of this and MUCH MUCH more...

If AE86 was the starting point, and you had 30 years of technology change, and tools and toys we enjoy, mash it all into a car with dimensions nearly exactly matching the AE86. And taking NONE of the soul out from the AE86. What do you get?

I call it my dream car. And Club4AG will live on forever...
Because the sports car to enjoy from Toyota is BACK!

[ft86cbx]

Direct link: Club 4AG

[ToyotaObsession]

Originally Posted by ft86cbx

Direct link: Club 4AG

Damn lucky bastard. Sounds awesome though.

[Fly Guy]

Awesome post! I'm glad they are still focusing on light weight. The corner design for the dash sounds cool. Glad Yamaha is working on the engine. I really like what they said about the exterior styling.

[bofa]

It's a good thing he didn't post here. People would spend more time questioning his credentials than basking in the information. Nice find - thanks for sharing.

[bofa]

Ok if you haven't read the link yet please do... when I saw him mention no CD player it made me realize these guys are current with the times and get what most of us have been preaching and craving. All of the hints of information have renewed my enthusiasm.

[ft86cbx]

Originally Posted by bofa

All of the hints of information have renewed my enthusiasm.

+1

[SUB-FT86]

So a usb/aux will replace the cd player? $ounds like it.

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by bofa

Ok if you haven't read the link yet please do... when I saw him mention no CD player it made me realize these guys are current with the times and get what most of us have been preaching and craving. All of the hints of information have renewed my enthusiasm.

IMO, that kinda sucks. Sure MP3 players are convenient and I use mine a lot more than a disc, but unless you're listening to FLAC or some other lossless codec you won't be able to reproduce the sound quality of a CD.

[iff2mastamatt]

Originally Posted by n2oinferno

IMO, that kinda sucks. Sure MP3 players are convenient and I use mine a lot more than a disc, but unless you're listening to FLAC or some other lossless codec you won't be able to reproduce the sound quality of a CD.

You will need decent speakers in the car too, but i doubt that's on the top list of enthusiast's priorities. I'm an audiophile, but the difference between 320kbps mp3's and flacs is noticeable, but ultimately negligible. I could do without the CD player, I never actually use more than once every few months.

[Matador]

Some days you are just glad to log onto the internet.

[tranzformer]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

Some days you are just glad to log onto the internet.

especially how depressing things have been around here lately.

[Matador]

Originally Posted by n2oinferno

IMO, that kinda sucks. Sure MP3 players are convenient and I use mine a lot more than a disc, but unless you're listening to FLAC or some other lossless codec you won't be able to reproduce the sound quality of a CD.

Pretty sure they would leave a DIN space for an aftermarket stereo if you are so inclined. What audiophile uses the standard stereo anyway?

[Sabastian]

I think that the takeaway here is that there is a group of people who have seen the production car as well as some of the vital specs, and those people are really excited about the finished product. We need to find these people and make them talk.

[tranzformer]

Originally Posted by Sabastian

I think that the takeaway here is that there is a group of people who have seen the production car as well as some of the vital specs, and those people are really excited about the finished product. We need to find these people and make them talk.

They won't because embargo. There are probably so few of them that the leak could easily been found and never be trusted again. Not worth it.

[bofa]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

Pretty sure they would leave a DIN space for an aftermarket stereo if you are so inclined. What audiophile uses the standard stereo anyway?

I don't know... dumping the CD player could allow them to completely change the way the controls are integrated. If anything I think this points to them perhaps not having a din in the dash. There are other alternatives though... maybe a tucked away changer will be an option (or easy DIY project).

[Matador]

Originally Posted by bofa

I don't know... dumping the CD player could allow them to completely change the way the controls are integrated. If anything I think this points to them perhaps not having a din in the dash. There are other alternatives though... maybe a tucked away changer will be an option (or easy DIY project).

Been so long that I've used a CD I forgot those even existed.

[bofa]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

Been so long that I've used a CD I forgot those even existed.

Haha, same here... hell I feel ghetto for still having a third gen nano in my car.

[ft86cbx]

I just hope with all this hype which I'm buying in to doesn't fall short come December.

[Random_Art]

Quote:
"The engine? It's still EJ20 based shape. But Toyota re-casted everything, even down to the engine block with a new design, and with the Yamaha acoustics assigned to make every pulse, beat, and soul of air and vibration to become something to spice performance and tactile feel. Not much is exactly shared with the Subaru engine except the flat four configurations. However, the external mounting points remain the same as the Subaru EJ20, shared for very obvious reasons. That is so YOU can use a Subaru engine to swap if you PREFER the Subaru engine for racing. Why bother with complex fabrication, if Subaru has something you can use from 11 years of WRC?"

So much for the FB20?

[Spaceywilly]

The engine? It's still EJ20 based shape. But Toyota re-casted everything, even down to the engine block with a new design, and with the Yamaha acoustics assigned to make every pulse, beat, and soul of air and vibration to become something to spice performance and tactile feel.

This made me all tingly

[Praetendere]

The engine being based on the EJ instead of the FB is making me all giddy. Very oversquare, with Yamaha working on the engine. Very good recipe.