Toyota/Subaru/Scion Lightweight Sports Car: Toyota GT86, Subaru BRZ, Scion FRS!
#1756
#1758
Moderator
iTrader: (5)
It sure did take Toyota long enough to make a car worth buying. Last year when I needed a car after an accident it drove me absolutely nuts how few new/newish cars on the market didn't meet met the simple criteria of the FR-S/BRZ: $20k-$23K MSRP, SUB-3000lbs, REAR wheel drive, IRS rear, FOUR seats, TWO doors, 200hp or more, mechanical limited-slip differential, manual transmission, decent gas mileage but more importantly a decent 0-60. Maybe these cars won't be very fast out of the box but everything else is as it should be.
I couldn't find such a car that was brand new or only a couple of years used, so among very few other choices I bought an older SC300 5-speed and have spent the last year restoring and modifying it into a fun and reliable daily driver. Not much else was available that fit the bill that was newer. Not a Miata. Not an S2000, and not a Genesis Coupe 2.0T unless you could find a rare R-Spec and even that was 3,300lbs.
I'm just glad they'll be selling it. Now hopefully they don't kill production or have standing ridiculous markups before I'm ready to actually buy one.
I couldn't find such a car that was brand new or only a couple of years used, so among very few other choices I bought an older SC300 5-speed and have spent the last year restoring and modifying it into a fun and reliable daily driver. Not much else was available that fit the bill that was newer. Not a Miata. Not an S2000, and not a Genesis Coupe 2.0T unless you could find a rare R-Spec and even that was 3,300lbs.
I'm just glad they'll be selling it. Now hopefully they don't kill production or have standing ridiculous markups before I'm ready to actually buy one.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 12-13-12 at 03:52 AM. Reason: typo correction
#1759
#1760
Well simply making a Lexus 86 clone will defeat the purpose of Lexus as a luxury brand.
The end result of a Lexus roadster, though much heavier than the 86, will still be lighter and drive better than the Z4 2.0i I reckon, while providing the premium car experience one expects from a premium brand.
The end result of a Lexus roadster, though much heavier than the 86, will still be lighter and drive better than the Z4 2.0i I reckon, while providing the premium car experience one expects from a premium brand.
Exactly. Agree except that i don't think it necessarily has to be much heavier than the 86.
#1761
Pretty good interview concerning Scion and Subaru.. It doesn't seem that they are aware that there might a variation in "high spec" and "low spec" between models... they do make excellent points none the less
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmp...gt-86-frs_auto
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmp...gt-86-frs_auto
#1762
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
It sure did take Toyota long enough to make a car worth buying. Last year when I needed a car after an accident it drove me absolutely nuts how few new/newish cars on the market didn't meet met the simple criteria of the FR-S/BRZ: $20k-$23K MSRP, SUB-3000lbs, REAR wheel drive, IRS rear, FOUR seats, TWO doors, 200hp or more, mechanical limited-slip differential, manual transmission, decent gas mileage but more importantly a decent 0-60. Maybe these cars won't be very fast out of the box but everything else is as it should be.
I couldn't find such a can that was brand new or only a couple of years used, so among very few other choices I bought an older SC300 5-speed and have spent the last year restoring and modifying it into a fun and reliable daily driver. Not much else was available that fit the bill that was newer. Not a Miata. Not an S2000, and not a Genesis Coupe 2.0T unless you could find a rare R-Spec and even that was 3,300lbs.
I'm just glad they'll be selling it. Now hopefully they don't kill production or have standing ridiculous markups before I'm ready to actually buy one.
I couldn't find such a can that was brand new or only a couple of years used, so among very few other choices I bought an older SC300 5-speed and have spent the last year restoring and modifying it into a fun and reliable daily driver. Not much else was available that fit the bill that was newer. Not a Miata. Not an S2000, and not a Genesis Coupe 2.0T unless you could find a rare R-Spec and even that was 3,300lbs.
I'm just glad they'll be selling it. Now hopefully they don't kill production or have standing ridiculous markups before I'm ready to actually buy one.
I'm kind of glad they are introducing it as a stripped out model. It will keep the weight as well as the price down. If US spec for base model is at 2600lbs, that would be very nice! I can see shaving off at least another 100-150 lbs via cf hood and trunk, battery, racing seats, rpf1 wheels, and ti exhaust. It also gives me hope that they may make a racer model devoid of even creature comforts like AC and power windows like on the tC.
btw - are those running lights and/or blinkers where the fogs would be at?
btw - are those running lights and/or blinkers where the fogs would be at?
I think the blinkers are the same in the FT86 as well above the fog light.
#1763
Subaru BRZ Priced!
- Subaru BRZ should go on sale in May 2012
- Starting price around $24k for Premium and about $27k for Limited model
All details: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2579
- Starting price around $24k for Premium and about $27k for Limited model
All details: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2579
#1764
http://youtu.be/3LjYl7VfFKE
A couple of reposts on this page. Anyways...
Supercharged Toyota 86 being developed by TRD
Good news.
A couple of reposts on this page. Anyways...
Supercharged Toyota 86 being developed by TRD
Toyota is already hard at work evaluating a high performance version of the new Toyota 86 sporting coupe. Chief engineer Tetsuo Tada says that not only is a supercharged 86 envisaged, test cars have already been made and are being evaluated by Toyota Racing Development, the Japanese giant’s in house tuning division.
Tada-san favours the supercharger approach because it is simpler to achieve than increasing engine size and doesn’t wreck throttle response as turbocharging might. Indeed Toyota says that turbocharging along with four-wheel drive and wide tyres are what make sports cars boring to drive.
Supercharging is also a key competence for TRD which has been offering this kind of forced induction as an aftermarket kit for Toyotas since 1998. He would not be drawn on what kind of power a supercharged 86 might develop but Toyota is known to consider the car’s chassis could easily handle an additional 50bhp to go with the 197bhp already generated by its Subaru 2-litre flat four motor, a view with which, having driven the car, we wholly concur. However he says the TRD is also looking at ways of modifying the suspension to cope with the extra power, raising the possibility of a still more substantial power hike.
TRD’s most popular supercharger conversion is applied to the American market Tacoma pick up, boosting its 4-litre V6 engine from 233bhp to 301bhp suggesting that a 280bhp GT 86 with, critically, a massive boost in the low down torque the car currently lacks would be easily achieved. Even in the unlikely event that all the modifications added 100kg to the weight of the car, its power to weight ratio would still at least equal that of the 326bhp Nissan 370Z, a car capable of hitting 62mph from rest in 5.3sec and recording a top speed of 155mph. The standard 86 needs around 6.8sec and does 143mph. It is not yet known whether, if approved, the supercharged 86 would be offered as an aftermarket pack or as a model in its own right.
Tada also confirmed that it was so important to his team that even the standard 86 drifted properly that special tests were incorporated into the car’s development programme specifically for this purpose, ‘the first time this has ever been done on any Toyota.
Tada-san favours the supercharger approach because it is simpler to achieve than increasing engine size and doesn’t wreck throttle response as turbocharging might. Indeed Toyota says that turbocharging along with four-wheel drive and wide tyres are what make sports cars boring to drive.
Supercharging is also a key competence for TRD which has been offering this kind of forced induction as an aftermarket kit for Toyotas since 1998. He would not be drawn on what kind of power a supercharged 86 might develop but Toyota is known to consider the car’s chassis could easily handle an additional 50bhp to go with the 197bhp already generated by its Subaru 2-litre flat four motor, a view with which, having driven the car, we wholly concur. However he says the TRD is also looking at ways of modifying the suspension to cope with the extra power, raising the possibility of a still more substantial power hike.
TRD’s most popular supercharger conversion is applied to the American market Tacoma pick up, boosting its 4-litre V6 engine from 233bhp to 301bhp suggesting that a 280bhp GT 86 with, critically, a massive boost in the low down torque the car currently lacks would be easily achieved. Even in the unlikely event that all the modifications added 100kg to the weight of the car, its power to weight ratio would still at least equal that of the 326bhp Nissan 370Z, a car capable of hitting 62mph from rest in 5.3sec and recording a top speed of 155mph. The standard 86 needs around 6.8sec and does 143mph. It is not yet known whether, if approved, the supercharged 86 would be offered as an aftermarket pack or as a model in its own right.
Tada also confirmed that it was so important to his team that even the standard 86 drifted properly that special tests were incorporated into the car’s development programme specifically for this purpose, ‘the first time this has ever been done on any Toyota.
#1766
Lexus Test Driver
evo magazine: "We've driven Toyota's new GT 86 rear-drive sports coupe - and on first impressions, it's brilliant"
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...ota_gt_86.html
Not sure what they're referring to with the 6-speed torque lock automatic, though.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...ota_gt_86.html
Not sure what they're referring to with the 6-speed torque lock automatic, though.
#1767
24k for premium BRZ, what will standard BRZ be priced at? And will the BRZ be priced like the FR-S with no haggle selling or will some people be able to get a BRZ for less than a FR-S
#1768
And I don't think the no-haggle pricing policy of Scion-branded cars will be brought over to the Subaru dealers just for this model. Just doesn't make sense.
Last edited by ydooby; 12-02-11 at 12:58 PM.
#1769
I bet the "standard" BRZ is called the FR-S. Must a be a deal between Scion and Subaru to differentiate the two cars in the US, with Scion selling the stripped model (with loads of accessories like all the other Scions) while Subaru sells the more loaded (but heavier) versions.
And I don't think the no-haggle pricing policy of Scion-branded cars will be brought over to the Subaru dealers just for this model. Just doesn't make sense.
And I don't think the no-haggle pricing policy of Scion-branded cars will be brought over to the Subaru dealers just for this model. Just doesn't make sense.
#1770
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
evo magazine: "We've driven Toyota's new GT 86 rear-drive sports coupe - and on first impressions, it's brilliant"
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...ota_gt_86.html
Not sure what they're referring to with the 6-speed torque lock automatic, though.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evoc...ota_gt_86.html
Not sure what they're referring to with the 6-speed torque lock automatic, though.