The Toyota FT-86 Concept has left me with many more questions than answers. Questions that I don’t think Toyota wants us to ask. We should be curious about the Performance numbers, the fuel mileage, and can anyone with legs fit in the back seat?
Instead I am wondering if Toyota can still remember how to build a sports car? The last model year for the now legendary Supra was back in 2002, and the Celica took its last breath early in 2006. Then there was the newest hyper car the Lexus LFA. That car only took 9 years to bring to production a fact that is reflected in the astronomical price tag. That leaves us with Scion, but ops this post is about sports cars. Which leads into another question; has anyone in the Toyota engineering department ever been caught day dreaming on the job about cruising up the Sea to Sky Highway in a tC? Somehow I doubt it.
I question their decision to go with a non-traditional boxer 4 cylinder engine? When traditional inline 4 cylinder engines are one of the pillars that Toyota built their company on? Bullet proof 4 cylinders? So why then go over to the boxer dark side instead of investing in direct injection technology? I can only guess that engine development was a homework task for project partner Subaru, which is strange because you would have thought that Subaru would have wanted to have put their name on the sign-up sheet beside drive train. My experience has shown me that they are a company known for three things: 1) Being a serious manufacture competing for the world rally championship year after year 2) Symmetrical all wheel drive 3) The love of watching over weight men wash cars. The third item must be a Japanese thing?
In reality there is really only one question that I truly need answered. When the Toyota FT-86 Concept goes into production will it be a hardcore sports car like the Supra or a 2 door wash out like the Celica?
