Official: Toyota FT-1 Concept / First New Supra Prototype Spotted!

[Ammunition]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

We also have a new FT1Club!!! Sign up everyone

http://www.ft1club.com/forums/forumd...ral-Discussion



http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53322

Thanks - I wasn't really interested in compiling the images anywhere, and more just posted them up to be appreciated as most of us are general auto enthusiasts.

This seemed like an apt forum for that, but since it just seems to be stirring negative commentary here I went ahead and cross-linked it to the preferred thread.

[vh_supra26]

People just want all FT-1 news/photos/videos and ect. to stay together.

[torqdork]

The new interior was inspired by Superman. FTA:

Calty’s Wonder Woman

How the FT-1 Concept became a super hero’s fortress
August 20, 2014

Inside Her Art – With the latest FT-1 Lee and her team showed how a simple color swap can change the personality of a car. Where the first version’s black was more Batcave, this tan interior appears more luxurious.

Sellene Lee has plenty of other interests besides cars. And that might be her greatest strength as a creative designer in Calty Color and Trim department.

Lee’s passion isn’t for what’s under a vehicle’s hood, but for what’s between its doors. And her work on the interior of the FT-1 Concept is turning heads.

Yes, there’s an inside to the FT-1. You may not have realized that, considering so much of the car’s buzz surrounds its sleek body. But Lee and her team developed an interior befitting the power of the car’s exterior. And, as the second FT-1 showed us last week, a simple color change can create a completely different concept within a car. It’s still the exact same car, but suddenly, the FT-1 has gone from super hero noir to plush luxury. That’s what Lee had in mind when she switched the interior’s dominant color from black to tan.

Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and came to the United States after graduating college. Outside of work, she’s turns furniture into art to display in Southern California galleries. She’s also a pretty huge movie buff. And all that went into creating a dynamic interior design for both FT-1 Concepts.

We sat down with Sellene to talk about the FT-1 and its super hero roots.

How did the FT-1’s powerful interior come about?
Each team, after the research, comes up with a key story for the whole project. For my team, I researched and came up with my own inspiration for color and trim based on super heroes. Mostly when I get my inspiration, it’s spontaneous. The new Superman poster for “Man of Steel” just grabbed my eye. I thought it was interesting to see how super hero costumes evolved over time. That was the seed. After that I researched the oldest super hero costumes and just took them as inspiration.

So Superman’s history was the inspiration for the original concept?
Yes! Before, the super hero costume was color-coded tights. It was interesting to see the “Man of Steel” poster. It’s very monotone, not just blue and red anymore. And you have all these intricate details. It’s a very interesting evolution of the Superman costume. We kept talking about the FT-1 interior being like a superhero suit that optimized the functionality of the driver. So I thought, ‘If I take the inspiration from the new super hero costume, I can apply it to the color theme of the FT-1.’

How does the super hero theme mesh with the rest of the interior?
The super hero costume is about optimizing the super heroes. The original color scheme is very monotone, black with a touch of red with an accent function. We wanted the driver’s seat to be comfortable so we used a soft, natural grain leather for where the driver touches with his body. The rest, we wanted to make it very functional.



Showing Off – One of Lee’s proudest moments at Toyota was the crowd’s reaction at the FT-1’s January debut in Detroit.

What are the interior differences between the first FT-1 Concept and the one unveiled last week?
The first version is very raw, masculine and sporty. But just by changing the color, you can see how much the product can change in perception. The color makes the product more premium. We were thinking maybe some people really want this sporty car, but they’re more comfortable with an upscale image. So we tried to make this version upscale but with a minimum amount of changes.

What was your favorite part of the FT-1 design process?
It was really fun for me because it was the first time all of our team members worked together in the research phase. Designing a car is different from designing furniture or something smaller scale. In order to make one car, you need a lot of different talents working together. So no one can be the product’s sole owner. I don’t have an automotive design background, so I brought a different perspective. I really enjoyed working with and learning from so many car enthusiasts. It was a really fun collaboration.

Do your other interests help you in your job?
My background is product design, so I have always been into smaller-scale design. But the auto industry wants a fresh perspective, and my background helps me infuse fresh ideas. I love design and art and music. Those different perspectives in the design world are helping me do this job now.

By Dan Nied



Inside Her Art – With the latest FT-1 Lee and her team showed how a simple color swap can change the personality of a car. Where the first version’s black was more Batcave, this tan interior appears more luxurious.

[abraxis]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

Yup, I believe what could happen is FT-1 will just be built on some shorten variation of the IS/RC/GS platform. The Supra nameplate carries a lot of weight for Toyota. As many bloggers pointed out, they don't believe Toyota would involve BMW with such a special car like the Supra.

So the Hachiroku name doesn't carry any weight for Toyota?

The Supra is so special it's just going to be a cheapened version of a Lexus RCF?

None of that makes any sense to me unless Toyota is still run by a bunch of accountants and not Akio.

Honestly, base the Supra on the RCF or remove the nose on the concept and I'm out. I don't see why anyone would buy such a thing in the world of Corvettes, NSX and future RX7. That's who the Supra needs to compete with. Not a BMW M3/5.

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by abraxis

Honestly, base the Supra on the RCF or remove the nose on the concept and I'm out. I don't see why anyone would buy such a thing in the world of Corvettes, NSX and future RX7. That's who the Supra needs to compete with. Not a BMW M3/5.

I'm betting crash regulations will be the nail in the coffin for that front end. Basing it on the RCF platform saves money. If it's that versus not making the car at all.. well... You can make some people happy some of the time but never everyone happy all of the time.

Corvette competitor, sure. They start at like 50k. But the NSX, which is likely going to touch 100k or more? The RX7/RX8 successor isn't even a thing but a dream for people that want one.. You can't compare to something that doesn't exist.

Realistically this thing is going up against 50-60 thousand dollar sports cars if their goal of staying around 60 grand is true.

[vh_supra26]

Check out more photos and videos of the FT-1 Concept in the official media thread below.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF2cfzJKbUY[/ame]


Official Photo & Video thread for the second Toyota FT-1 Graphite Concept

http://www.ft1club.com/forums/showth...aphite-Concept

[tahdizzle]

I certainly hope the Ft-1 has a dedicated platform, and not borrowed from something else. Even the RC

[tahdizzle]

Gotta pay to play! :p

[Levi]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

I would love to see a new drivetrain just for FT-1. But for the hinted $60k price tag I don't think that is going to happen.

The RC F engine is not built from scratch as the LFA engine for example, but it is still sports car worthy compared to the engine on which it is based, the one of the LS 600h.

[hmong337]

Originally Posted by vh_supra26

Did I say anything about the 86? But since you brought it up, yes a high performance flagship sports car would carry more weight than a entry level sporty car. Especially if we are talking about the Supra nameplate.

Lol, you probably know nothing about the Supra at all. By your logical I guess the MKIV Supra is just a cheapen version of the Lexus SC... Yeah ok...

For a real Supra enthusiast, a "cheapen version of the RC-F" is a lighter, more sportier, and smaller version of the RC-F vs what it is. More heavier, larger, luxurious, and more for a touring car or vs being a more of a pure sports car like FT-1/Supra.

Also Akio maybe ECO, but that doesn't make him a dictator. There still something called the Toyota board...

Right, so the MKIV Supra sharing platforms with the Lexus SC somehow made it less than a C4/C5 and NSX competitor... OK...

Majority of Supra owners/Supraforums would rather FT-1 underpin the RC-F than have anything to do with BMW.



Thank you, someone with common sense.

I was thinking exactly this the other day. Didn't the Toyota Soarer/Sc300-400 come out just a tad before the mk4 Supra?

I see this as nearly mirroring what happened back in the early 90's.

The RC-F is to the SC as the FT-1 is to the Mk4 Supra. The RC-F will be superior to the FT1 in ways of luxury and interior tech. The Supra is the flagship in performance.

There's no way in hell I can see Toyota sharing the Supra nameplate with BMW! That's like BMW wanting to share their M3 with Toyota. Sorry, NOT HAPPENING!

[hmong337]

I hope they stick to Supra heritage and do an inline 6 turbo. But this time in all aluminum for weight savings and D6s direct injection. 420hp, 3200lbs, 3.0L turbo, and double wishbones all around.

It probably won't be a 2+2 judging by the concept

[vh_supra26]

Originally Posted by hmong337

I hope they stick to Supra heritage and do an inline 6 turbo. But this time in all aluminum for weight savings and D6s direct injection. 420hp, 3200lbs, 3.0L turbo, and double wishbones all around.

It probably won't be a 2+2 judging by the concept

The only automaker that still makes I6 is BMW :/

FT-1 actually does have back seats.

[abraxis]

Originally Posted by tahdizzle

I certainly hope the Ft-1 has a dedicated platform, and not borrowed from something else. Even the RC

Well, according to vh_supra you have no common sense. According to gymratter you're stupid.

Nice forum.

[hmong337]

Oh snap! I couldn't find any pictures of the rear seating. Being 2+2 is simply amazing. A big reason why I got the FRS.

Yea, I honestly see them doing away with the I6turbo

In these days of smaller more efficient compact design, a v6tt or a compact v8 would probably be at the heart of this car. Nissan did away with the RB stuff due to wanting something more compact with their gtr. I can see Toyota doing the same. A tuned up version of the RCF V8 would be badass. But I do hope they go in a totally different direction with the engine. Something new. The RC-F V8 is just tuned up ISf engine, no? If Toyota is going to go for something new, I hope they take what they learned from the LFA (making a v10 engine the size of a v8) and make a tiny lightweight compact V6 with twin turbos.