It’s about the revs
Two hundred horsepower from the Boxer motor howl and the needle on the tacho hits the 8,000 RPM mark. But shortly before this occurs the rev limiter complains and urges the driver of the Toyota GT86 to use the crisp shifter and go into third gear. With a wide track and low centre of gravity the fast Japanese compact leads for the next corner at the Fuji Speedway.
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- 200 horsepower and 205 Nm of torque are generated by the four-pot Boxer in the Toyota GT86.
205 Nm of torque are generated by the four-pot Boxer, available from 6,600 RPM. The GT86 is happiest when revving high and with the driver’s foot heavy on the accelerator. While it is true that turbo charging could give the 2+2 seater added punch, even as a naturally aspirated power plant the Boxer is in fine form. The two-litre engine comes from Subaru with Toyota's direct-injection technology. As an alternative to a manual six-speed gearbox there is a six-stage automatic transmission offered, controlled by paddles on the steering-wheel. This system is borrowed from the Lexus IS-F and does a good job but is not as agile as a dual clutching transmission with sport set-up.
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- This is a sports model totally lacking in electronic gimmickry, for the Japanese engineers the basic and traditional virtues are quite sufficient.
Forwards, backwards, side-ways
The real fascination of the GT86 is its extremely light handling. The Japanese auto is a resolutely honest car, feeding back to its driver the unvarnished truth and rid of all of the electronic ballast which weighs down other sports car models. For the Japanese engineers the basic virtues are quite sufficient… front mid-motor positioned as far behind the front axle as possible, rear-wheel-drive, low centre of gravity and perfect balance of weight. This is the layout which is also evidenced in the Maserati GranTurismo. Of course 200 Boxer horsepower are no match for a V8 with twice as many horses under the bonnet. But the Japanese sports model weighs 800 kilos less. It does, however, remain a fact that the presumed successor to the Celica could have just a bit more power.
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- A new handling champion from the lad of the rising sun… just right for Sunday afternoon drifting sessions.
The GT86 seems pre-destined for spectacular drifting. Any driver disengaging the ESP on a slick surface will need to beware of a very nervous rear end, although 1,180 kilos of car can quickly be brought back under control thanks to the very precise steering. In ‘Sport’ mode the ESP permits a degree of drift angle and makes the interplay of accelerator and steering a lot of fun in tight corners. When accelerating the differential lock is a great help and the traction of the GT86 is impeccable. Toyota have yet to release exact performance data but the sprint to a hundred kilometres an hour should be over in about six or seven seconds. On the wet surface it was not possible to get reliable data.
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- The interior is very sporty and rather too full of plastic. But when the driving is such fun who really cares?
Spartan and sports
In the cockpit of the GT86 there has been strict concentration on the essentials. The little three-spoke steering-wheel fits the hands well and the dashboard is dominated by the tacho which has a red zone from 7,800 RPM. Next to this is a digital speedometer. The firm sports seats fit the driver like a second skin. The workmanship of the car’s interior is fine although there is a good deal of uninspiring plastic involved. There are two cup holders in the central console but otherwise there is a dearth of stowage space. The GT86 does surprise with an unusually capacious boot and rear seats which do not torture the occupants. Getting in is far from easy and the knee-room restricted but for short trips the back of the car is welcoming even for adults.
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- The instrumentation underlines that the most important data for the driver of the Toyota GT86 is the rev counter.
The racer made in Japan is an all-round successful package… and so why does it carry such a boring designation? When Toyota announced that they would build a new sports model many fans hoped for a return of the Celica badge. Instead they are offered a car with the obscure ‘86’ prefixed for the European market with the initials ‘GT’. In Japanese 86 is ‘Hachiroku’… ‘Hachi’ is eight, and ‘Roku’ is six. A glance at the data sheet reveals that not only the piston travel of the Boxer motor but also the bore is exactly 86 millimetres.
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- The Toyota GT86 should cost less than 30 thousand Euros but it will unfortunately not reach these shores until the autumn of 2012.
Affordable, too
However Japanese car freaks have a further reason to rejoice when the see the number ‘86’. In Japan ‘Hachiroku’ holds the same promise as the abbreviation ‘GTI’ does for horsepower addicts here in … it is code for small, light and affordable racers. AE 86 was the designation back in the eighties for sporty coupés such as the Corolla Levin and the Sprinter Trueno. These were autos which pleased a huge community of enthusiasts both in and in the . “I can well remember my first AE86, it was a fantastic car”, recalls GT86 project manager Toshiaki Noda. The AE86 was alight-weight with rear-wheel-drive… as is the new GT86. “This is a car meant for tuning fans, and there will be accessories like a rear spoiler available” says Noda. The Nippon racer is due to reach in the autumn of 2012 and should be priced at under 30 thousand Euros, although this has not been confirmed officially. In Subaru showrooms the car will bear the ‘BRZ’ badge and in truth the two cars will be seen as identical but for a few tiny details.
