[weederr33]

Originally Posted by yurikaze

I was part of one of the original consumer research clinics for the 86 twins, back in 2009. What the market lacked and enthusiasts wanted was an inexpensive, fun to drive car that not only was easy to modify, but that enthusiasts would want to modify.
Something in the vein of S-chassis and original AE86's.
Therefore, there was room left for improvements in the car in pretty much every area.

I am an automotive designer in the aftermarket, and the 86 twins have one of the largest aftermarkets in the world, because they are one of the most modified cars out there.
Pretty much anything you want to do with the car is addressed in the aftermarket.

One of the big reasons you don't see a factory 86 twin with a higher power output is because if they did come out with one, the price would be increased to the point where you would see two major arguments against it;
1."For this much money, you could get a _______ instead."
2."For less money, you could just get a base model and install a supercharger on it."

If you don't believe me on the second one, look at how many people were saying similar things about the BRZ tS? "For less money than the tS, I could install coil-overs and better tires, and be at tS level with cash in my pocket."

The truth of the matter is that the 86 is an old design, and at this point it wouldn't make financial sense to do a major re-engineering this late into the model-cycle, only to try to sell a more expensive version to all the people on the internet that say they would buy an 86 if it had more power, when in reality 98% of them are all talk, and would still find a reason not to buy it.
It makes much more sense to address it in a new generation of the car.

Just gonna quote this so it stays on top! Brilliant info