New article on the GRMN 86 (Tuned race ready spec)

[Wise]

Personally I don't really see the point of buying a race ready spec. 170kw is only about 30hp over stock, which can be achieved with a header and a tune.

Cheaper to just buy an 86GT and then spend 10k to do the work yourself. This thing is designed for the track so warranty and insurance is an afterthought anyhow.



http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2014...ard-core-48171

When a car is wrapped in zebra hide-like livery and surrounded by its chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, former Japanese GT driver Masami Kageyama and several senior engineers at a race track, you know something is brewing.

On the day before the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival at Fuji Speedway on November 23, Japan’s biggest car-maker sprung the covers off a rather special Toyota, the GRMN 86, and handed the keys over to Kageyama to throw it around.

Toyota first revealed its intention to produce a lighter, more track-focussed version of its 86 coupe at the 2014 Tokyo Auto Salon, where it revealed the GRMN 86 concept created by its motorsport division, which of course stands Gazoo Racing Meister of Nurburgring.

Until now, Toyota has launched limited-edition GRMN versions of the Vitz (Yaris) and iQ, but a road-going car directly inspired by a Nurburgring 24-hour class-winning race car is a first.

As you'd expect, the GRMN 86 employs just about every modification seen on the race car, but for the road. It incorporates a mix of aluminium and carbon-fibre body parts like bespoke front and rear spoilers to reduce kerb weight, bonnet air vents for better cooling, stiffer suspension, drilled brake rotors with six-piston callipers, and grippy 17-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R tyres.

Inside, the coupe gets a specially wrapped steering wheel, gear knob and hand brake as well as lightweight racing seats with greater side support and four-point harnesses. One necessity for a track-day car that appears to have been omitted is the roll-cage.

While a minimalistic approach has been taken on the 86's naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine, a source close to Toyota tells us that exhaust and ECU revisions have added roughly 20kW, taking the GRMN86’s power up to around 170kW.

As test driver Kageyama was jumping out of the car after some hot laps to head to a post-test briefing, we managed to corner him for a quick evaluation of the limited-edition GRMN 86.

“The car handles just like a Nurburgring 24-hour spec machine," he said. "It turns in well with loads of steering feel and lets the driver know early what’s happening at the rear-end, which makes correction very readable and progressive.

"It’s quick and very stable in high-speed corners and under heavy braking. I’d say the car’s at around 80 per cent now. We still have a little more work to do on rigidity and ride quality before it’s ready for the road.”

Perhaps he’s referring to the addition of a roll-cage, which would make the car a true Nurburgring-spec road car while adding to its cornering rigidity.

In the absence of concrete pricing hints from Toyota, one source suggested we should double the price of the standard $30,000 86 for a ballpark pricetag when the car is released in mid-2015. For a road-going race car, that’s pretty reasonable.

[Wise]

Wouldn't mind if we could order that OEM stock front lip though. Looks nice.

[ZionsWrath]

80% done? That is kind of a useless thing to say.

And whatever this turns out to be, it won't come to the states so

[Wise]

Originally Posted by ZionsWrath

80% done? That is kind of a useless thing to say.

And whatever this turns out to be, it won't come to the states so

I doubt it'll come to Australia too. Most likely a Japanese or European exclusive model.

Still interesting to see the first 'special model' that actually features a power increase, even if it is an increase that you could just get from a header and tune.

[tyrantcf]

I like the idea, but holy shit ~$60k? Count me out.

[tahdizzle]

Perhaps it is also significantly lighter. I would say that mild power increase coupled with ~300lb diet would defintiely be impressive.

Also, that gold toilet should ship soon.

[Guillaume]

So I ran into more pics of that GRMN86, including some pictures under the hood that I hadn't seen anywhere yet. It seems they have a variable length manifold that should get rid of the torque dip.





Source: http://ameblo.jp/zn6-86-fa20/entry-11990349822.html

And from Gazoo's site, with an oil cooler this time:



Source: http://gazooracing.com/detail/4649740

[Loetke]

Originally Posted by tahdizzle

Perhaps it is also significantly lighter. I would say that mild power increase coupled with ~300lb diet would defintiely be impressive.

Also, that gold toilet should ship soon.

Only weighs 30kg less.

[Koa]

uhh.. the car one could make with 30k plus a new roller.......

idk what these guys do all day

[Defuser]

$30k for 30hp.

$1,000 per hp?!

#howaboutno

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Defuser

$30k for 30hp.

$1,000 per hp?!

#howaboutno

definitely not just engine work that went into this build, to be fair..

[Defuser]

Originally Posted by Koa

definitely not just engine work that went into this build, to be fair..

True, true. Many of the other bits are too open to "taste"; seats in particular. You could just do so much more for $30k, and get what you prefer.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by Defuser

True, true. Many of the other bits are too open to "taste"; seats in particular. You could just do so much more for $30k, and get what you prefer.

amen to that. PASS

[tennisfreak]

$60k for modified 86 or brand new Corvette???
tough decision


I'd go with the latter.