Toyota GT-86
In recent years Toyota has experienced some less than favourable media coverage. But, with the accelerator pedal dramas of 2010 well behind it, the Japanese motoring titan has once again re-established itself as the world's leading car manufacturer. Aware of competitors keen to usurp market authority, Toyota's R+D wizards have long been burning the midnight oil to bring something refreshingly fun to the industry's attention.
Back in 2009, the company showed the FT-86 concept, a front-engined rear-wheel drive compact four-seater sports coupé that promised to fulfil our basest motoring desires. It's taken a few years for a production car to emerge, but those early expectations appear to have been justified. The renamed Toyota GT-86, recently experienced by Wallpaper* on the mountain switchbacks above Barcelona was, by-and-large, as entertaining as the hype.
Contorting yourself into the driver's seat, you're reminded of 911s from years gone by, with just enough room to get comfortable without ever forgetting you're in a low-slung sports car. On the move, everything comes together. Despite its size, the normally aspirated 2-litre boxer engine works tirelessly, producing best results when pushed to its higher rev range. In the corners, a combination of low ride height, firm suspension, even weight distribution and quality rubber gives you abundant levels of grip.
Toyota's engineers - all keen motorsports enthusiasts - decided to exploit the chassis potential by fitting (as standard) the same narrow tyre found on the hybrid Prius, a gutsy decision given its sporting brief and surprisingly one that works for all intents and purposes. So convinced is the company of the car's potential that it offered it up on closed circuit conditions, allowing W* to experience the GT-86 in is its natural environment (where, incidentally, it remained on its Prius road tyres).
On the track, the sports coupé really made sense. With its light, nimble handling more direct than on the road, and one of the least obtrusive traction control systems in memory, the Toyota GT-86 could be driven as intended in these surroundings, and how very enjoyable the experience played out to be. This is a sports car for the masses, a machine in which enjoyment is paramount. From the earliest design sketches to the first models rolling out of the production hall, every measure has been focused on driver pleasure.
For a company churning huge numbers of day-to-day saloons and hatchbacks, Toyota has desperately needed to inject excitement back into a garden-variety portfolio and, with a driver oriented offering such as this, it has achieved just that.
Despite early industry acceptance, Toyota can't bathe in the 86's success as entirely its own doing. To develop and produce the car, Toyota formed an alliance with fellow Japanese manufacturers, Subaru, who played an instrumental role in the engineering, while also imparting their expertise in connection to the boxer engine, the power train at the heart of the coupé. On the flipside, Subaru's own version of the car, the BRZ, is able to benefit from Toyota's initial product planning and design phases.
As it stands, Toyota has managed to bring the GT-86 to market slightly ahead of Subaru's BRZ, which is available later this summer.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Private museum Simple Design Archive is a ‘poetic sound sanctuary’ in China
Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
All hail the arrival of true autonomy? On Tesla’s proposed Robotaxi and techno-insecurity
Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Toyota bz4X SUV is the marque’s first pure electric vehicle
The Toyota bz4X is our first chance to explore how the long-standing masters of mass automobile production make an EV
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
ICON celebrates 500 custom Land Cruisers with epic 1964 New School Edition
Los Angeles-based ICON transforms classic off-roaders into paragons of contemporary style and performance. This is the 500th Land Cruiser the workshop has completed
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Lexus LM wants you to have the back-seat ride of your life
The back of the Lexus LM has the space, grace and accoutrements to rival a Rolls-Royce. Can this upscale minivan reinvent the luxury car?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
ICON transforms the humble Chevrolet Suburban into a minimalist monster
The 1970 Reformer by ICON is low-riding reinterpretation of an old-school crossover, blending extreme custom performance with Miesian minimalism
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The debut Japan Mobility Show saw the country’s carmakers preview the near future
The 2023 Japan Mobility Show offered up a vast array of futuristic transportation, from concept sports cars to autonomous taxis, and eVTOL aircraft
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Toyota and Jun Takahashi create a limited edition Aygo X
Toyota Aygo X Undercover edition is a city car spliced with a high-end streetwear brand
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Toyota Century SUV is a new approach to low-key old-school luxury
The new hybrid Toyota Century SUV sees the marque take its luxury division to the global market for the first time
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Toyota Aygo X is designed for the rough and tumble of the city
Compact, competent and free from any overheated ego, the Toyota Aygo X is the socially acceptable face of the combustion engine
By Jonathan Bell Published