RE: GT86 'just the start' for Toyota

RE: GT86 'just the start' for Toyota

Thursday 11th October 2012

GT86 'just the start' for Toyota

Toyota's 'Mr GT86' hints at a three-model range of sports cars to come



An interview with Tetsuya 'Mr GT86' Tada in an overseas edition of Top Gear and subsequently reported on 4WheelsNews suggests the sports car he's credited with creating for Toyota (and Subaru...) is just the start.

Tada-san is hinting at more to come
Tada-san is hinting at more to come
PH met up with Tada-san in Scotland recently (more on this shortly) and spent some time with him as he explored some traditional UK driving in the '86 with a view to further developments off the platform. Along the way he let slip that he has a prototype back in Japan shorn of 100kg, which sounds promising. Meanwhile tuners and racers have been busy exploring the potential for more in the package, not least Toyota itself with its Britcar racer.

But according to 4WheelsNews that's just the start and Tada has gone further in suggesting that the GT86 will be at the core of a three-car sports car range. So, how will that manifest itself? Perhaps a modern-day equivalent of the tiny, minimalist Sports 800 we drove back to back with the GT86 a little while back? An Elise-esque MR2 replacement with the GT86 fulfilling the Celica role and a new Supra at the other end of the scale? Who knows but having met Tada-san, hung out with him and got just a sense of his energy and enthusiasm it's an exciting prospect.

 

 

Author
Discussion

tinkertaylor

Original Poster:

566 posts

141 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
I certainly hope this is just the start! fantastic if so

Twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
A Supra in the mould of the old Celica Supra would be relatively easy to do, I reckon. The Celica Supra 2.8i had a modified front end to accommodate the straight-six. You could put a flat-six from a Legacy in there, alter the frontal styling to suit, throw in a couple of turbochargers and you have a Supra.

robmlufc

5,227 posts

185 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Supra please!

David87

6,648 posts

211 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Supra vs GT-R! Fiiiiiight!

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Far more exciting if they got an Italian stylist in.

MycroftWard

5,983 posts

212 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
This sounds great, I'd very much like to see them get back to the nineties hayday of the MR2/Celica/Supra/Soarer line up.

robmlufc

5,227 posts

185 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
David87 said:
Supra vs GT-R! Fiiiiiight!
clap

SmartVenom

462 posts

168 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
The looks of this are really starting to grow on me. Saw the Subaru version for the first time the other day and spent quite a while staring at it (fortunately it was parked outside the dealers so I didn't look a complete freak).

A new MR2 of the Mk1/Mk2 ethos would be very nice. Almost every time I play with my Mk1 I'm left thinking how ahead of the time it really was.

HorneyMX5

5,308 posts

149 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
I suspect chopping the roof off and some styling tweaks to rival the MX5 will be high on the list.

Nick

hornetrider

63,161 posts

204 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
HorneyMX5 said:
I suspect chopping the roof off and some styling tweaks to rival the MX5 will be high on the list.

Nick
Agreed. It'll be getting on for 10k more than an MX5 though.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
400bhp blown GT4 !!!

Adrian W

13,848 posts

227 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Maybe they should just take an engine from Lexus

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
An Elise competator would be nice. Sub 1000kg, 140-250hp variants and ~22-30k price tag with 5years warranty lick

pjac67

2,040 posts

251 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Come on LG where are you?
Keep up at the back....

MycroftWard

5,983 posts

212 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
StottyZr said:
An Elise competator would be nice. Sub 1000kg, 140-250hp variants and ~22-30k price tag with 5years warranty lick
That would be great for sure, it would put Lotus out of business though wouldn't it?

Twincam16

27,646 posts

257 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
MycroftWard said:
StottyZr said:
An Elise competator would be nice. Sub 1000kg, 140-250hp variants and ~22-30k price tag with 5years warranty lick
That would be great for sure, it would put Lotus out of business though wouldn't it?
Unless, like many Toyota cars over the years, Lotus was involved.

tyrrell

1,670 posts

207 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
Just another 40BHP & 40LBS of torque would transform the car smile

NigelCayless

201 posts

154 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
New Supra please! I used to have one, great car,

Dr G

15,159 posts

241 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
LuS1fer said:
Far more exciting if they got an Italian stylist in.
David87 said:
Supra vs GT-R! Fiiiiiight!
No & no, stick to being and looking Japanese, stick to the scalpel approach, not the sledgehammer one.

simonigrale

918 posts

205 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
quotequote all
We picked our GT86 up at the start of September and love it. Very pure car.

As you can see on the pic, the background gives you an idea of our running in process laugh