Abbey Motorsport Toyota GT86 | Spotted
Know what the GT86 lacked? That's right - a supercharger
The Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ are rightly famed for their handling balance, but the horizontally-opposed 2.0-litre petrol engine powering them has always felt a bit strangled - especially when compared to the fire-breathing hot hatches in the same price bracket. Owners have freed it up with new intakes, exhausts and remaps, but by-and-large, the flat-four motor under the Toyobaru two-door has always played second fiddle to the chassis – at least as far as contributions to the fun factor go.
Those wanting to make the engine more spectacular have long been presented with the two traditional options: turbocharging or supercharging. The pros and cons associated with each are somewhat predictable. Those who’ve opted for a turbo to improve on the factory 200hp have often lost out on low rev driveability, while those who’ve turned to a supercharger have conceded the shove might not be so great. As usual with these things, it depends on your preference going in.
Of course the compelling thing about a supercharger - and Jaguar and Caterham will back us up here - is that power delivery can be made to mimic the character of a naturally-aspirated engine more easily, and (arguably) that makes it better suited to the GT86 or BRZ, which at 1,275kg need more of the same rather than oodles of unnecessary boost.
Cue Abbey Motorsport's 270hp-grade supercharger kit, fitment of which brought the GT86’s price up to £33k in 2014. It turned up the boxer engine's wick by 35 per cent and, as Abbey puts it on the website, provided “INSTANT BOOST”. Yummy.
The supercharger makes the engine hungrier for revs, too, with peak power coming at 7,500rpm, 2,000rpm after 206lb ft of torque makes itself known. Where Toyota’s standard sports car needs to be aggravated to get a bit sideways, Abbey’s kit offers oversteer on demand like a proper performance machine. In a straight line, the GT86 could give the likes of 370Z a run for its money, before leaving it behind in the corners thanks to the stickier-than-standard boots most buyers sensibly fitted alongside other applicable chassis upgrades.
Today’s Spotted wears them all. It’s a 2013 GT86 with £10k of bits added, including the supercharger, Cobra exhaust system and upgraded differential, as well as 18-inch OZ alloys. It looks the part, that’s for sure, and with only 23,000 miles on the clock it’s youthful enough to suggest the Cayman-aping grunt has gone nowhere. If there's a catch it's the presence of an automatic gearbox where the short-throw six-speed manual should be. Perhaps that explains the sub-£16k asking price. Or does it? With the blower onboard, there's presumably no need for a clutch kick to get the GT86 sideways - there’s 270hp to do that. Three pedals or not, you're getting a go-faster version of this decade's finest sports cars for the price of a supermini. Count your blessings.
SPECIFICATIONS – TOYOTA GT86 ABBEY MOTORSPORT
Engine: 1,998cc, flat-four, supercharged
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 270@7,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 206@5,500rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 23,000
Price new: est. £33,000 (after modifications)
Yours for: £15,950
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