Toyota will sell its rear-wheel-drive sports coupe as the 86 in Japan and GT 86 in Europe. It will be known as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.
With enthusiasts looking for anything to sate their appetite for the latest details on the Toyobaru (Subayota?), Toyota has devilishly allowed a mere trickle of details to come out about its version of the much-anticipated sport coupe it has developed with Subaru.
The current dish? While the car will be sold in the States as the Scion FR-S, it will be called the GT 86 in Europe and simply 86 in Japan, paying homage the revered AE86 Corolla from the ’80s.
Even more will be released next week when the car makes its official debut at the Toyota Motor Show. Toyota is calling the car a “production prototype,” but it will likely differ from the production version in details only.
Subaru – which is calling its version the BRZ – took the lead on developing the rear-wheel-drive chassis and provided the basic horizontally opposed 2.0-liter four cylinder. Toyota added its unique direct injection system and handled the styling.
Toyota, which has a 16.5 percent ownership stake in Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries, also released some of the official specs for the car, listed below. No prices have been announced, but speculation has been on the high $20s.
The 86/GT 86/FR-S/BRZ is an unusual project because its chassis was developed by Subaru, which has no experience with a strictly rear-wheel-drive chassis while its partner, Toyota, has decades of RWD experience. The engine location, front midship, as Toyota says, precludes a future all-wheel-drive version, unless Subaru develops a completely new transaxle for it.
Both Toyota and Subaru have said that the car has an extremely low center of gravity, a product of the flat four engine design and the engine placement.
Here are the specs released by Toyota:
Main Specifications*1 of 86 (Production Prototype)
Length 166.9 inches (4,240 mm)
Width 69.9 inches (1,775 mm)
Height 51.18 inches (1,300 mm)
Wheelbase 101.2 inches (2,570 mm)
Track Front 59.8 inches (1,520 mm)
Rear 60.6 inches (1,540 mm)
Seating capacity 4
Engine Total displacement 121.9 cubic inches (1,998 cc)
Type Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, direct-injection DOHC
Bore × stroke 86 × 86
Maximum output 197 hp (147 kW) @ 7,000 rpm
Maximum torque 151 lb.-ft. (205 N-m) @ 6,600 rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
Driveline Rear-wheel drive
Suspension Front Struts
Rear Double wishbone
Brakes Front Ventilated disk
Rear Ventilated disk
Tires Front 215/40R18
Rear 225/40R18
Fuel tank 13.2 gallons (50 liters)
Fuel Unleaded premium
*1According to TMC measurements and targets