Spy Shots of 086A toyobaru coupe test prototype on the track
 

Press release:

We just caught Toyota engineers testing a prototype for the Toyota/Subaru joint-venture coupe on the Nürburgring, giving us a new real-world taste of the eagerly-awaited two-door. How much this prototype represents Toyota's production-intent coupe is a little cloudy at this point. It is definitely more advanced than the Subaru-themed coupe mules spied more than a year ago, and hints of Toyota's recently-released FT-86 concept can be imagined behind the camouflage. The headlights look like they could be merely functional placeholders for more sexy headlamps to be applied later, but they also seem to integrate quite well into the bodywork visible here. The same can be said for the tail-lights which fail to capture the svelte sexiness of the FT-86 concept.

It's rare for a car company to create two-stages of mules--it usually goes from the initial mule straight to a confirmation prototype--but it looks like this prototype may still have a little of the Island of Dr. Moreau treatment. At least we hope so. If the visible elements on this latest coupe prototype are indicative of the final design, Toyota will have raised the public's expectations with the FT-86 only to bring everyone crashing down to a more mundane reality.

I'm getting a little worried. That looks NOTHING like the ft86 concept. I know its just a test car probably for chassis and handling but still woulad been nice to see something closer to the concept

this could be the subaru version using the impreza body for testing.

Hmm. Are these recent or taken before the concept was released?

These were just released today on various blogs

Actually toyo and subaru are probably testing the same components (engine, gearbox and chassis) using the subaru shell . I suspect they will have to test another car for awd if this is a rwd model.

I hope thats subie's version... cuz its not pretty at all..

Hopefully this is nothing more than a test car and has no physical relation to the production model. That test car is ugly from every angle shown.

This is a mule car. Fake bodypanels and mucho camouflage. It's pretty normal for cars in this stage of development. They just might be testing engine and drivetrain..

To me it looks like they hacked a Impreza in 3 pieces and left the middle piece out and sticked the remaining 2 together.

Exactly.

Yup! It looks like only the rear might be the real car with a Impreza front end hacked on just to have something to sit and drive inside of. They must be testing drivetrain right now. I cant wait to see this car unfold!!!!

+1 for the mule comment, that car is just using parts off various imprezas.. the hood is a base impreza, the bumper/flares are from an sti, the back is from an impreza sedan.. the car is literally glued together.. the REAL car is underneath all of that

Ive seen mules of the current Corolla and Matrix and they looked nothing like the production models. Mules are just test beds for the mechanical components underneath.

On another note, you can really see how small the car may be based on how big the driver and passenger look.

definately impreza tailights. hope subies version is a lot closer to toyotas in the looks department. also read somewhere that toyota's version will be sold everywhere else but the U.S. and Subaru version for the U.S market only.....(Speculation maybe?)

mule car! so excited to see it at the track!

actually those picts were probably taken the same day as this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SYJjE7Xrf4
also i haven't found it on this site, but the info says the vid comes from this site ha ha

well I hope to see the toyota version in the states....it would be nice to have it RHD...

Damn that thing is so ugly by today's standards, lol

And it was also ugly by 2009's standards, why necro this post?

It was a mule, who cares.

So this is really awkward... I meant to post that in a different thread, lol
Funny how it could theoretically fit in this one...

Super confused, because I have never opened this thread before...

Do you use tapatalk? I've seen this happen a few times and I think most of them used that program.

Ah, yes. I thought that might have been it, because I was using it a little yesterday.
My bad, lol