Toyota FT-86 is Coming Now for Drifting

Amid repeated promises from new president Akio Toyoda that it'll commence creating exciting cars to pull itself out of its slump, Toyota officially unveiled the FT-86 idea edition of its 2012 “affordable” compact rear-drive sport coupe at the 2009 Tokyo present.

As we've previously reported, the FT-86 is often a joint effort with Subaru, which engineered the auto to Toyota’s overall performance targets, and might be building each the Toyota and its very own model. Subaru didn’t unveil its model in the Tokyo present, instead leaving all of the glory towards the Toyota. Subaru’s version is expected to debut sometime subsequent year.

It is a proper sports-car platform, though the suspension fundamentals are familiar from the Legacy. The engine is usually a Subaru boxer 2.0-liter four using a Toyota head unit, usually aspirated to keep the cost low but with direct gas injection. Expect 160-180 horsepower, which need to be able to provide decent efficiency simply because the automobile is light thanks to its compactness -- just 164 inches long, which is sub-Audi TT, but with a comparatively stretchy 101-inch wheelbase. It’s also doable it can use aluminum in its construction.

A six-speed manual transmission is mounted straight behind the engine, but the motor itself is low and well aft -- further back than in existing Subarus -- so weight distribution will probably be useful for the dynamics. When asked about the actual balance, chief engineer Tetsuya Tada replied: “Many people today feel it need to be 50:50, but we did plenty of tests and that is not the very best for drifting. That’s why the gearbox is on the front not the rear. Drifting and sliding the tail will be the most significant factor, and this car might be the best in the world for that.”

He added, “We have built tons of prototypes and taken them to your Nurburgring, but this is not just a automobile for the track. The steering will react immediately, and you’ll really feel it not just on the track but on every junction on the way to the supermarket.”