Autoblog

Toyota GT86 gets TRD treatment in UK

Chris Paukert — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Toyota, UK

As dearly as we love the Toyota GT86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ franchise, we readily admit we wouldn't look sideways at a model with a bit more firepower. And while that's not quite on the table yet, Toyota has been busy amping up the visual firepower of its rear-drive coupe with a whole host of TRD parts. To this point, that's been a largely à la carte affair, but the automaker's UK outpost has just announced a special-edition model that allows our British friends to pick up the whole shooting match all in one go.

The Toyota GT86 TRD will only be available in black and white, and just 250 examples are to be built. As you can see from the excellent gallery above, the catalog of look-faster bits include a more aggressive front air dam, side skirts, rear bumper fascia, spoiler and unique 18-inch forged alloys. Additional flourishes include a TRD shift lever and branded radiator cap. The sole concession to actual performance? A "fast-response quad exhaust" that might only improve things audibly - 0-62 mph is apparently unchanged at 7.7 seconds, and the top end is still 140 mph for the manual transmission model. (The auto gets by with 8.4 seconds and 130 mph).

Pricing? Glad you asked. £31,495 for GT 86 TRD manual, £32,995 for the automatic - that's nearly $50,000 US for the tripedalist and just over for the automatic. (Those are heady prices, but bear in mind that UK MSRPs and taxes are generally significantly higher than their US counterparts). If the standard GT86 is more your speed, it still rings up at a more affordable £24,995 - roughly $39,500 - leaving plenty of budget for actual performance parts. No word yet on North American availability of a special TRD model, but we've got a call in...

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Toyota GT86 gets TRD treatment in UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota GT86 GT4 racer is ready for UK competition

Zach Bowman — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Toyota, UK, Racing

It's about time we saw someone cook up a legitimate race version of the delectable Toyota GT86, and now it looks as if GPRM has done just that. The Buckingham-based race engineering team has built the creation you see here, complete with a turbocharged 2.0-liter, direct-injection four-cylinder boxer cooked up by Nicholson McLaren Engines. The team says the new mill delivers between 360 and 400 horsepower to the rear wheels depending on final testing, which is a sight bit more than the 197 horses the naturally aspirated stock mill offers.

The car will compete in GT4 events, including the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Technically, the GPRM effort isn't factory backed, but the team says the effort "has the blessing of Toyota Great Britain." How could it not? You can check out the brief press release below below, and be sure to take a closer look at the machine in our gallery.

Continue reading Toyota GT86 GT4 racer is ready for UK competition

Toyota GT86 GT4 racer is ready for UK competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota open to new joint ventures after sports car success with Subaru

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Toyota

It's pretty safe to say that the Toyota GT 86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ joint venture has been quite a success so far. Here at Autoblog, we've had nothing but nice things to say about the Toyobaru coupe, and it's a similar story elsewhere in the automotive press.

Toyota has certainly been keeping track of the car's progress, and because of the success of this project, Autocar reports that the Japanese automaker is now more keen to do joint ventures in the future. Previously, Toyota had worked with PSA Peugeot-Citroën to create the Aygo/107/C1 city car, and let's not forget about the company's joint manufacturing initiative with General Motors here in the United States, NUMMI, which created vehicles like the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix twins.

Speaking to Autocar, the GT 86's development chief, Tetsuya Tada, says that the automaker is interested in partnering with new companies "if we can jointly produce something exceptional." Toyota will work with Subaru on a convertible version of its new rear-wheel-drive sports car, and the deal with PSA Peugeot-Citroën will be continued for the next-generation trio of city cars.

Toyota open to new joint ventures after sports car success with Subaru originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is this show-off the first to crash a Toyota GT 86?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Japan, Videos, Toyota

We all tend to get a bit overzealous at times - we'll call it part of human nature - and as many times as not, our tendencies to show off manifest themselves most when we're behind the wheel of a hot new sports car. Like, say the brand new Toyota GT 86, also known as the 2013 Scion FR-S here in the States, or, in Subaru form, the BRZ.

Such is the case with the unlucky fellow you'll see in the video embedded below. During what appears to be a drive event for Toyota's new coupe, taking place on a wet track in what we believe is Japan, one driver exceeded his talent level in a bright red GT 86, sending it careening into a makeshift wall.

The good news is that it was a low-speed mishap, which means nobody was injured and the car will need little more than a decent buffing. Or maybe a new fascia... either way, no big deal. See the video clip below.

Continue reading Is this show-off the first to crash a Toyota GT 86?

Is this show-off the first to crash a Toyota GT 86? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production gets underway [w/video]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Subaru, Toyota

Finally. It's the moment we've all been waiting for ever since Toyota and Subaru jointly announced their compact rear-wheel-drive sports car: production is now underway.

With an official ceremony at Subaru's Gunma Main Plant, attended by Toyota president Akio Toyoda, Subaru pushed the Big Red Button (quite literally, in case you were wondering) that sent BRZ and Toyota GT 86 coupes down the assembly line. And the event was captured in both still images and video for our viewing pleasure.

Check out our high-res image gallery above, and see below for the video and official press release. Oh, and if you're one of the lucky ones with a deposit down for either the Subaru or the Toyota's Scion FR-S twin (America won't get one with an interlocking rings badge), it's officially time to consider making room in your garage.

Continue reading Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production gets underway [w/video]

Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production gets underway [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota hiding easter egg on GT 86/Subaru BRZ?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Design/Style

According to our recent and completely unscientific poll, the majority of our readership prefers the Subaru BRZ to its kissing cousin, the Toyota GT 86. Just about half of those who clicked an opinion on our poll sided with the Subie, while the remainder were split - a quarter went with the Toyota and a quarter said the two cars were so similar that it didn't matter.

Similar they are, with different grilles, front fascias and badges standing out as the main differentiators. The rest is pretty much the same, right down to the front and rear lights. And, according to Automotive News at least, there's a little bit of Toyota trickery at work in the styling.

Take a close look at the rear of either the GT 86 or BRZ. Incorporating both the reverse lights and a rear foglight in the center between the dual exhaust tips is a distinctive element with a prominent inverted triangle shape. According to Toyota, that design "stands for Toyota's 'T' shape" and is meant to 'express its identity.'

That's all well and good, but it's also present on the Subaru, which is otherwise completely absent of any Toyota badging, for obvious reasons. This is especially noteworthy since Toyota led the car's styling and bodyshape while Subaru invested its resources on the engine and chassis.

Is there a conspiracy at play? We doubt it. It seems more likely that the rear element is meant to recall nothing more than the safety light on Formula 1 cars, and the fact that it's an inverted triangle is a clever way for Toyota's marketing team to highlight the dual-headed-machine's Toyota-bred styling work.

Finally, consider the fact that the Scion FR-S, which is what Toyota's version of the coupe will be sold as in the United States, also features the exact same rear lighting element. In case you hadn't noticed... there's no 'T' in Scion, either.

Toyota hiding easter egg on GT 86/Subaru BRZ? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

John Neff — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Videos, Tokyo Motor Show, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, UK

Badge engineering is the ironic label for when a company replaces the badge or branding of a product with that of another and considers it something new. Domestic automakers like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have been vilified for their overuse of this practice. Then again, they weren't often badge engineering rear-wheel-drive sports cars (though they've done that, too).

This week, Toyota and Subaru both revealed their own versions of a RWD sports car jointly developed between the two companies: the GT 86 and BRZ. You'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart from a distance of 30 yards, but we got up close and personal with each at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this week and discovered that there are, in fact, subtle differences.

Since we'll be getting the also-slightly different Scion FR-S in the U.S., this exercise is really aimed at our European readers who will be offered the GT 86, but everyone's free to participate.

We've got videos of each model in the metal after the jump, and after you watch, let us know which one you prefer in the poll below.

View Poll

Continue reading In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll]

In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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