Only in Japan: New Stripped Down Toyota 86 RC and Subaru BRZ RA

The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ go hand in hand, in whatever they do. The two brands have launched stripped down variants of their respective models in Japan offering a low cost solution for those buyers looking to use the coupes for track racing, as a blank canvas to create their own project or simply to own the most affordable variant.

The Toyota 86 RC and the Subaru BRZ RA are very similar, the only main difference being that the Toyota model gets unpainted front and rear bumpers. From there on, on the outside, both models come with unpainted door handles and mirror caps, 16-inch steel wheels, while there are no fog lights up front.

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New FT-Bh Affordable City Car Concept Leads Toyota’s Geneva Motor Show Lineup

In the aftermath of Toyota's below-par performance in 2011 due to natural disasters and the strength of the yen, the Japanese automaker decided to focus its efforts for a comeback mainly on hybrid models such as the Prius family.

Therefore, today’s announcement that five out of the six Toyota models that will make their world or European premieres at the Geneva Motor Show in March will be hybrids, comes to no surprise.

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A Pair of Toyota 86 Coupes Engage in a Drifting Dance

If Subaru's overemotional Japanese spot didn't touch a chord with you, then we'll have to assume you're the kind of person that prefers the sounds of screeching tires over the sounds of crying when it comes to cars.

If that's the case, you might want to take a look at what a pair of Toyota 86 sports coupes are capable in the hands of two talented drifters. Watch the video after the break.

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New Toyota GT 86 Priced from £24,995 in the UK, Puts it Between the MX-5 and the 370Z

One of the most strongly anticipated sports cars of the year has been priced in Britain. Toyota revealed today that the new GT 86 coupe will carry an on-the-road price of £24,995 (equal to €30,206 or US$39,550) when sales start in June.

This puts the GT 86 between two other popular Japanese sports cars in terms of pricing, the Mazda MX-5 that starts from £17,990 for the 124bhp 1.8-liter soft-top model, and the Nissan 370Z that begins at £29,950 for the 324bhp 3.5L V6 Coupe.

For the record, the base GT 86 is £2,000 more expensive than the Mazda MX-5 with a retractable hardtop and the 158bhp 2.0-liter engine.

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TRD Launches New Performance Line Accessories for Toyota 86 at Tokyo Auto Salon

The Toyota 86 (along with its Scion and Subaru brethren) is just one of those cars that you know beforehand will draw massive attention from the aftermarket industry as buyers will surely want to upgrade the coupe's appearance and looks.

At this week's 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) presented a first batch of performance and styling goods for the 86 sports coupe.

Toyota's in-house tuning division has developed a new aero package with side skirts, a full width front spoiler, a rear apron that includes a diffuser and a boot lid spoiler that go together with a bespoke fuel cap cover and 18-inch black alloy wheels.

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New Toyota GT 86 Video Pays Tribute to 1965 S800

It has been about a month since Toyota pulled the wraps off its new 86 sports coupe at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, but the Japanese company isn't about to let its rear-wheel drive model fall off the radar as it gears up for its market launch next spring.

Toyota released a new promotional clip for the 86 (called GT 86 in Europe) that pays homage primarily to the company's first production sports car, the S800 (or Sports 800) and to a lesser extent, the AE86.

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Rumors: Toyota Readying a Supercharged Version of the GT 86?

Toyota has repeatedly stressed that the GT 86 was developed as a pure, fun and easy to drive rear-wheel drive sports car, ignoring the horsepower race and concentrating instead on honing every detail of the chassis set-up.

In fact, the Japanese carmaker was so determined to stay true to its promise that it even included drift tests in its development program. The production model is said to have an estimated 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).

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2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version and it goes on Sale Next Spring [Updated]

The third chapter of what has turned out to be a very long saga came to an end tonight with the official presentation of the new 2013 Scion FR-S, which follows the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier today.

The name Scion chose for the North American version of the Toyota 86 stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The 2+2 coupe is the fifth model to join the Scion family and will go on sale in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2012.

“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance," he added.

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Subaru BRZ Joins its Toyota Sibling at the Tokyo Motor Show [Live Photos + New Videos]

Danny de Vito and body builder-turned actor-turned California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, were probably the only twins that were completely different to one another. On the other hand, that was a comedy film in which artistic freedom allows the producers to do anything they please.

In the real world, human twins may indeed differ, mostly in character – though not as much as Arnie and Danny by any stretch of the imagination. In the automotive world, however, when two manufacturers jointly develop a vehicle, 99.9% of the times it ends up being identical to its sibling.

Even Subaru and Toyota are not pretending that their BRZ and 86/GT86 are anything but the same car. They clearly admit it in their press releases and even inscribe it on the engine cover. It’s badge engineering, pure and simple.

Therefore, all the hoopla about the extremely low center of gravity, the compact dimensions, the fun to drive RWD configuration et al is repeated in the BRZ which also made its premiere today at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show.

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Toyota 86 in the Flesh from the Tokyo Motor Show, Plus New Promo Video

What is Toyota’s first car with a front-mounted, horizontally opposed engine and rear-wheel drive? Surprisingly, even to most motoring hacks, it’s not the 86 (or GT 86 for European buyers).

It's a car that goes back almost half a century: the two-cylinder, boxer-engined Sports 800. So there you have it: another piece of information with which you can impress your friends.

This is 2011 though, and the latest boxer-powered, rear-wheel drive Toyota is the much talked about 86. It may have been officially revealed four days ago (and unofficially even earlier), but the Tokyo Motor Show gives the public its first chance to see Toyota’s sports car in the flesh.

Even though Toyota claims a 50 year-old heritage behind the 86, as everyone knows - heck even Snooki should be aware of this by now…- the rear-wheel drive coupe has been developed in cooperation with Subaru, which in Tokyo is displaying its own version, the BRZ.

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New Subaru BRZ Sports Coupe: First Official Pictures of Production Model

After the unveiling of the Toyota 86 (GT 86 in Europe) on Saturday, it's time for Subaru to take center stage with the presentation of its version of the jointly developed rear-wheel drive sports coupe in production guise.

The new BRZ was revealed today less than two weeks after Subaru exhibited the STI-badged concept model at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and just before the sports coupe makes its first public outing under the spotlight at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday, November 30.

To the surprise of no one, the production BRZ loses the concept’s neat aero-kit with the large rear wing and carbon-fiber parts, but no need to worry as it's almost certain that Subaru's STI division will offer either the same or similar components as an option in due time.

Even though we knew from day one that the Subaru BRZ, the Toyota 86 and the upcoming Scion FR-S were all jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, we had some hope that the cars might differ in appearance and flavor. As you can see for yourself, this never happened – at least with the BRZ and the 86.

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Toyota 86 Video Bonanza: Track and Road Driving, Presentation, and Promo Films

So you want to see more of the new Toyota 86 sports coupe, do you? Well, we have you covered with more than a dozen fresh videos including promotional films, driving footage on the track and the road as well as clips from the media presentation at the Fuji Speedway in Japan.

For some reason Toyota has decided to name the car simply 86 in Japan and GT 86 in Europe, while the same or possibly slightly different variant with the Scion badge will be marketed as the FR-S in North America.

The key facts about the 86 include a front-mounted Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter boxer engine pushing 200-horses towards the rear axle through a short-shift six-speed manual gearbox (or a 6-speed automatic) and an available limited slip differential.

Toyota has not yet released full specifications, but a leaked brochure revealed that the JDM version tips the scales at 1,210kg (2,668 pounds) in basic trim and at 1,230kg (2,711 pounds) in the second trim level.

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Sights and Sounds of the New Toyota 86 from First JDM Test Drive [Video]

Our coverage on the production version of what we came to know as the FT-86 in concept form but which Toyota decided to name GT 86 for the European region and simply '86' in its home market of Japan, continues with two fresh videos that depict the rear-wheel drive sports car in action.

The first clip is from a quick spin around the Fuji Speedway racetrack, while the second video includes a more comprehensive test drive from a Japanese car magazine that provides us with a more in-depth look at the sights and sounds of the 86 as well as in a wider palette of colors.

Toyota is highly optimistic about the '86', which it describes as an "entirely driver-focused sports car, designed to recapture the fundamental joys of motoring".

The Japanese firm's recipe includes a 200HP naturally-aspirated engine mounted up front matched to a six-speed manual (or 6sp automatic) and a limited slip differential driving the rear wheels, and a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution.

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New Toyota GT 86 Sports Coupe with 2.0-liter Engine Officially Revealed in Production Guise [Updated]

The wait for the most hotly anticipated (and teased, may we add..) sports cars of the year, the production version of the Toyota FT-86 2+2 coupe, is finally over as the Japanese automaker came out with all the juicy details ahead of the car's world premiere at the at the Tokyo motor show on November 30.

In Europe, the new Toyota will be called the GT 86 in tribute to the Japanese firm's GT car heritage and especially the Corolla GT (or Levin) AE86, which inspired its creation. The Japanese domestic market version will be aptly called 86.

The GT 86 is the result of a joint Toyota and Subaru development programme that will spawn two more models, the global Subaru BRZ that will also make its debut in Tokyo next week in production trim, and the North American market Scion FR-S.

All three cars will share the same platform and mechanical hardware including the Subaru-sourced flat-four, with only minor styling differences between them.

The story of the GT 86 began in October 2009 with the unveiling of the first FT-86 Concept in Tokyo and was followed by the almost production ready FT-86 II concept at the 2011 Geneva motor show this past March.

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Just Another Tease: New Toyota FT-86 Promo Film

So we have some good news and some bad news to report on for all of you readers interested in the Toyota FT-86.

We're going to give you the good news first: the Japanese company has just published a new promotional video on its upcoming rear-wheel drive coupe model. The bad news is that it doesn’t really show anything that we don't already know about the FT-86…

Aside from some kids playing around with first generation RWD Celica and 2000GT toy cars, the clip includes scenes shot from the development phase of the FT-86 as well as quick glimpses of the production model, which we've already seen through a series of leaked brochure shots.

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Toyota CEO Says to Company Must Build Cars that "Make People Happy"

Earlier this year, young people offered a job at Toyota were invited to the Japanese company’s test track. As they waited to be introduced to the firm's race drivers, a lone Lexus LFA drove around the track, mesmerizing them with the howling screams of its V10 engine.

No one knew who the man behind the wheel was. Only after he stepped out and formally introduced himself did they learn that it was the company’s CEO, Akio Toyoda. “I asked them if they like cars”, said Toyoda. “If they didn’t, they shouldn’t bother joining.”

When he assumed his duties in June 2009, the 55-year old grandson of Toyota’s founder said that he wanted his company to build cars that “made people happy”.

He did not know it at the time, but it was a rather unfortunate choice of words. Less than six months later, Toyota, which up to this point had built a reputation as a manufacturer of reliable cars, had to face the unintended acceleration safety issues in the U.S. that sprouted massive and costly recalls.

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Subaru Teases Production BRZ Coupe Ahead of Tokyo Motor Show

After the first real picture and computer-generated images of the conceptual BRZ sports coupe that will receive its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week, Subaru today gave us a sneak peak of the actual production model that will debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on November 30.

We only get a look at the 2012 BRZ's front end, but it is enough to spot some minor differences from the near-production study such as the reshaped bumper that drops the lip spoiler and gains more conventional grille bars and a pair of round fog lights under the turning signals, which are located in less prominent air vents.

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TRD-Prepped Toyota FT-86 and Then Some More

Your daily update on the Toyota FT-86 sports coupe-related leaks from Japan continues today with a few more revealing scans.

These include catalogue shots of the FT-86 wearing parts from the Toyota Racing Development [TRD] division including a front grille surround with a matching apron, side skirts and a chunkier rear diffuser.

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New Toyota FT-86 Shots Bring Specifications into the Light

Adding to a long line of leaks these past few days, the specification sheet along with a few more brochure shots of the JDM 2012 Toyota FT-86 made their way onto Japanese forums revealing new details on the firm's rear-wheel drive coupe.

Cutting to the chase, the FT-86 measures 4,240mm (166.9-in.) long, 1,775mm wide (69.9-in.), and 1,285mm (50.6-in.) tall, while riding on a 2,570mm (101.2-in.) long wheelbase.

In its home market of Japan, the FT-86 is powered by a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four churning out 200-horses at 7,000 rpm and 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) of peak torque at 6,600 rpm. It is very likely that the output numbers will remain the same for the global Toyota FT-86 and the North American Scion FR-S.

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2012 Toyota FT-86: New Photos Surface Online

When we brought you the first brochure images of the production version of the JDM Toyota FT-86 coupe on Thursday, we rightfully assumed that we should see more pictures of the rear-wheel drive model in the coming weeks before the official presentation at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on November 30.

Better make that a little over 24 hours as we just discovered yet another collection of scanned images on a Japanese forum, providing us with an even better look at the exterior design of Toyota's mainstream sports car.

While the previous photos showed us a Modellista-prepped version, this time we have the standard FT-86 with or without some optional accessories such as the front panel air vent trims and rear diffuser accents.

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