Traditionally speaking, the thought of an auto-box GT86 would be about as welcome as finding marmite in your creme caramel - but Toyota's latest sports car concept comes with an intriguing kicker: namely the idea of manually controlling its gear changes by physically shifting a very manual looking lever through a makeshift H-pattern gate.
Now, that obviously raises a lot of questions. The pleasure of manually changing gear is as much (if not more) about the mechanical sensation as it is simply moving your arm about; if the 'box is just a digitized void - a la Sega Rally - then it hardly fits the bill. But, then again, if the six-speed automatic were made to haptically ape the physicality of a modern syncromesh gearbox without a clutch pedal, that would surely be a bit weird too (the Saab 900's Sensonic transmission having failed to take the world by storm on a similar premise).
Nevertheless, the notion isn't without appeal; not least because Toyota has capped the gear lever with the kind of thumb-operable safety catch you'd like to imagine flicking on an A10 Thunderbolt when going to the Gatling (even if it actually houses the push-button ignition switch).
The concept containing the novel 'box is no less compelling, the manufacturer having carved a targa-style divot from the GT86's body and refreshed the show car's styling with design cues from Toyota Gazoo Racing's TS050 hybrid racer - the latter being a hat tip to the unspecified (presumably petrol-electric) powertrain installed underneath.
The GR HV Sports concept is due to be unveiled at the Tokyo show later this month. Or, alternatively, if it's put you in the mood for the real thing...
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