Tuesday 12th June 2018

Toyota GT86 Le Mans trio

Three iconic Toyota LM liveries replicated on '86s, marking the 86th running of the 24 Hours

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Remember when Toyota threw some retro liveries on GT86s? Taking inspiration from classic motorsport Supras, Celicas, Corollas and GTs, they were a real highlight of the 2015 Festival of Speed. And while a firmer, lower, louder GT86 wasn't always the best thing to drive, it was hard to care given how they all looked.

Now Toyota is back at it, wrapping three '86s in a trio of its most iconic Le Mans liveries to celebrate the 86th running of the 24 Hours. All of them have identical modifications to the Heritage cars - 40mm drop in ride height, plus a Milltek exhaust - with the cosmetic overhaul undertaken by Funkee Fish. All three also have wheels that aim to replicate those used on the original racers.

To the liveries themselves. Hopefully they're familiar, given the prominence of the actual racers in Le Mans history, but just in case... The blue car emulates the TS010 of 1992, the V10 powered car that replaced the twin-turbo V8 Group C Toyotas. Despite three chassis being entered at Le Mans, the TS010 was beaten to the win by one of the Peugeot 905s - second and eighth place was the best that could be achieved.

The GT-One (or TS020) of 1998 provides the inspiration for the red GT86, Toyota by then back with the twin-turbo V8 - albeit heavily revised - to comply with the LMGTP regs of the late 20th century. Making its debut at the '98 Le Mans, three GT-Ones showed promise in qualifying that sadly couldn't be replicated in the race: just one finished, in ninth place.

Finally, there's the TS050 Hybrid-aping GT86, this particular car carrying the livery of the Toyota that came so close to winning in 2016. Surely Toyota has to win this year, doesn't it?

The '86s will be making the journey to France this weekend, after which they'll be on the Toyota press fleet and making various appearances throughout the summer. Which one is your favourite? We'll ask to borrow one for a couple of days and play at sportscar racing superstars...

[DiscoColin]

Much as I like them - I don't think it is really right to call any of them "iconic". As a point of definition they are all fairly generic factory schemes that failed to win the race and really aren't comparable to Le Mans icons like the Mazda 787B, Silk Cut Jags or most of the history of Porsche. Toyota's iconic liveries are really still in their rallying and Japanese GT cars as far as I am concerned.

Really hoping that they get it done this year though - they have payed so many dues over the years that Le Mans really does owe them a win IMHO.