Toyota Plans To Make The FT-86 A Drifter's Dream

With clear echoes of the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept seen at the 2007 Detroit show, the sharp, edgy exterior brings the sort of excitement that Toyota's line-up has been crying out for since MR2 production ceased two years ago. A source close to Toyota told us that while the FT-86's exterior design heralds from Toyota Europe Design in France, two other prototypes also exist, one penned by head office in Toyota City and the other by Calty Design Research in California. 'Build quality is very high,' we were told, 'and it may already look ready for the road, but don't be surprised if the exterior changes, because this car is not finished, not by a long way.'

The name FT-86, which won't be the car's final name, harks back to the immensely popular Corolla AE-86 rear-drive coupe of the 80's, the car in which Japanese drifting hero Keiichi Tsuchiya started his career, while FT stands for 'Future Toyota'. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the car's potential to ignite a whole new generation of drifters.

In a speech to the media in Tokyo, ne Toyota CEO and Nürburgring 24 Hour race driver Akio Toyoda explained enthusiastically that the company plans to put greater effort from now on into building 'more emotional cars' and that the FT-86, and the Lexus LFA on a more extreme scale, are just the first in a long line. In justifying his racing efforts at the world's most gruelling circuit, Toyoda said 'It is important for management like me to drive our cars not only on public roads but also in competition to fully understand where our engineers are coming from.' He went on to add that he is not racing for the sake of racing, but rather testing cars like the LFA and IS-F in environments that push a car's chassis and suspension to the limits.



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