Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86

The Toyota GT86, in all of its forms, is one of the best-handling cars money can buy, a trait that can put a smile on the faces of all but the most jaded car enthusiasts. But if good handling isn't what they're looking for, then what is? Our first guess would have to be more power, something the 200-horsepower Toyota would benefit from. Autocar tries out that theory by driving two turbocharged GT86s on track, then pitting the more powerful one against the 616-hp McLaren MP4-12C in a track battle.

The first GT86 turbo Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe drives makes around 255 rear-wheel horsepower and a bucket-load more torque than the stock car. That's plenty of power to either have a lot of fun or get into a lot of trouble. But the GT86 that Sutcliffe tails in the McLaren is race-prepped, stripped to the bone and wears slicks to harness a heavy-hitting 335 hp at the wheel. Weighing in at under 2,500 pounds, the Toyota can't overcome the MP4-12C's power-to-weight ratio of 5.3 pounds per horsepower, but it comes pretty close.


http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/29/a...o-toyota-gt86/

Marzabella

So a race car with race tyres is as fast as a top road car? I know the point was to show the potential of the 86 but the 86 looked messy through the corners compared to the smooth maclaren. I think Toyota is going to have to make the expected boosted version quite tame just to keep that easy chuckability that the 86 is know for.

spwolf

lol... it shows that for $10k you can make GT86 as quick as Mclaren F1, what else would it show? They could make GT86 tamer but thats not the point of that car...

Marzabella

It would run you a fair whack more than $10k. The black car had over USD$12000 in it, the race car has over 12 months of constant work on it, that would probably be getting close to the GBP170k of the maclaren.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I'll take the McLaren

Still haven't warmed up to the Toyobaru Triplets

spwolf

sure, it would cost you $15k in the US to do the same thing as the race car there, or very similar to it.... and it is nowhere close to the $240k price of McLaren.... Fensport sells their road going kit for 8k GBP.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

This is like Fast and the Furious when the Civic smokes the Ferrari. Anything can be made fast, but it's still no Ferrari. Or in this case A McLaren.

spwolf

except it is a RWD car made be fun and fast... not an FWD econobox, and this is track, not drag strip.

mikez

I get the point, but not the same.

When I got my Lotus Exige this one dude said to me that he rather auto-x his legacy GT because he can take it to its limit and have more fun where as not many people can drive at the limit of a Lotus.

But boy, I can think of a million different reasons why the Exige is worth the money on the track, on the road, at a car show, parked in front of a restaurant... not the same!