- The 2011 Geneva Auto Show car, an evolution of the Toyota FT-86 concept first unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show, looks virtually production-ready in the latest photos.
- The photos, taken at Toyota's European headquarters here, show a few more details of the modest design changes on the car.
- The production car won't reach the U.S. until 2012, when it will be marketed as a Scion and priced from around $25,000.
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Toyota has released new photos and a behind-the-scenes video of its FT-86 II, the latest evolution of its upcoming rear-drive sports car that was unveiled at the recent 2011 Geneva Auto Show.
The photos, taken at Toyota's European headquarters here, show a few more details of the modest design changes on the car, which was released originally as the FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show and is being developed in cooperation with Subaru.
While the front and rear ends of the 2+2 coupe look a bit different from the earlier concept, the latest iteration of the FT-86 appears remarkably ready for production. In fact, it is not slated to arrive in the U.S. until 2012, when it will begin reaching Scion dealers as the FR-S, priced from around $25,000.
At this year's Geneva show, Subaru showed a transparent concept of its companion to the FT-86, known widely and rather irreverently as the "Toyobaru."
Unglamorously dubbed Boxer Sports Car Architecture Concept, the Geneva show vehicle also showcased Subaru's redesigned 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine, a version of which will be shared by the sports-car siblings.
Inside Line says: We're still having trouble finding beauty in this beast. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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yankee1951 says:
03:02 AM, 04/11/2011
Originally said to be 17,000 and now starting at 25,000.............
It is 8,000 over my price range.......
nasahrsandi9 says:
03:16 PM, 04/08/2011
Not bad for a toyota, but I'm affraid this car is going to be a failure just like the supra was, even if it does end up being an excellent car. People don't buy toyota's to enjoy driving them, people buy toyotas because they're brainwashed into thinking toyotas are the best cars to buy.
tbone85 says:
04:07 PM, 03/31/2011
It's often misleading to judge by photos of pre-release versions, but this doesn't look like an improvement over the original. The photos look awkward and unattractive, but I'll reserve judgement until I can see it in the flesh.
armswing says:
07:57 AM, 03/31/2011
no. just, no. it's all wrong.
alex38 says:
03:14 AM, 03/31/2011
so close...yet so far.. Toyota was SOOO close to getting this right and turning things around. I am one of those who wanted to see a stylish replacement for the Celica (i was such a fan back in the day) and give the Mustang/Camaro/Genny Coupe a run for their money.
If it looks anything like this, Toyota will have a massive uphill climb..
alex38 says:
03:06 AM, 03/31/2011
right on cue Toyota..took a perfectly good concept and completely wrecked it.. to be honest, i am not surprised. What ever happened to "less is more" and the simple clean lines..
akitadog says:
10:41 PM, 03/30/2011
To add, it looks like Toyota went ahead and tacked on the ugly aftermarket front and rear fascias that the fanbois with more credit limit than brains would have added later on their own, thereby saving them the time spent on internet searches and badly-performed shadetree installs.
I really wanted to like this car, then Toyota decided to rice it out before it even came to market.
Sigh...
akitadog says:
10:27 PM, 03/30/2011
Ummm, nope.
First version still looked WAAAAAYYYYYY better than this.
hotrodw says:
03:37 PM, 03/30/2011
Feeling a little guilty about my harsh comments yesterday, I came back several times over the last 24 hours to attempt to view the gallery from an objective point of view. And I must conclude after much scrutinizing . . . the new version still looks like hell! They were soooooo close to actually impressing me from a styling perspective with the original concept. Color me unimpressed after all.
lions208487 says:
11:05 AM, 03/30/2011
Makes me want to wait that much more for the Subaru version. At least Toyata is trying something edgy for once that won't cost 400K.