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Hey I'm new.
Yes, my username is my actual complete first name. Yes, I'm aware it's also a magazine.
Anywho, I'm in the Army, currently stationed in Germany, deploying to Afghanistan in a few months. I hope to buy an FT-86 upon my return.
Why? Well, I love small sporty cars. I love my GTI, although I normally cannot stand front wheel drive. I've had it chipped with intake and exhaust and it's putting about 240hp to the wheels....any more would be pointless. The chassis can certainly handle it, as proven by the Golf R or the Audi TTrs, but routing any more power through the front wheels would just make it too hard to control in the first two gears.
I'll have plenty of disposable income upon my return, and apart from investments that I already am routing money into, I feel like I will probably deserve a new toy.
I've had a project IROC-Z camaro in the past, had a lot of fun with it (great handling once you reinforce the frame), and a '95 Cobra that the previous owner had supercharged (also handled surprisingly well...better than the GTI in fact, though the tactile feelings the car gave you were very....numb I guess. But that damn thing could corner on rails even if the steering wheel didnt tell you what was going on all the time)
If the performance targets that I've read about with the FT-86 are actually met, I can see it being an extremely fun car. It should get good mileage too. I'm tired of modern cars getting heavier and heavier, and as the FT-86 seems to be trying for essentially a hardtop Miata type experience, I think I would find it very enjoyable. If it is 2700lbs and has 190hp I would be extremely happy with it.
Those Subaru flat 4 engines respond pretty well to tuning and sound really great given the right treatment, and they are pretty damn bulletproof to boot. I trust that the new iteration of the engine (I understand it is a clean sheet design but they DID keep all the things that made it unique) will prove the same.
Anyways, I'm rambling. If the car looks similar to the concept, packs close to 200hp and weighs less than 2750lbs, I will be a happy man. It'll basically be a rear wheel drive Civic Si....and I nearly chose that over the GTI....
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