Toyota 86 Coupe Drifts Into a Metal Barrier in Japan

Drifting a lightweight, rear-wheel drive coupe like the Toyota 86, which is Japan's version of the North American Scion FR-S and the European Toyota GT 86, on a wet parking lot can be loads of fun just as long as you accept the increased risk of losing control. Which is what happened to one of the drivers trying out the 86 at a parking lot in Odaiba, Japan, last Friday on March 9.
Fortunately for the driver, he didn’t hit the metal barrier hard thus reducing the damages to the car. If you want to see what happened, head past the break for the video.

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New Stripped Down Toyota 86 RC and Subaru BRZ RA

The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ go hand in hand, in whatever they do. The two brands have launched stripped down variants of their respective models in Japan offering a low cost solution for those buyers looking to use the coupes for track racing, as a blank canvas to create their own project or simply to own the most affordable variant. The Toyota 86 RC and the Subaru BRZ RA are very similar, the only main difference being that the Toyota model gets unpainted front and rear bumpers. From there on, on the outside, both models come with unpainted door handles and mirror caps, 16-inch steel wheels, while there are no fog lights up front.
On the inside, the two companies removed most amenities including, but not limited to, the air-condition, audio system and speakers, the aluminum-look trim, alloy pedals and mats, while plastic covers the steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift levers. The Japanese carmakers even went as far as removing the decorative plastic covers in the engine bay.
Furthermore, there's no limited-slip rear differential while the rear brakes are not ventilated any more. What remains untouched is the 2.0-liter boxer engine rated at 200-horsepower. Both the 86 RC and Subaru BRZ RA are offered exclusively with the six-speed manual gearbox.
As a result of these changes, the base Toyota and Subaru coupes are 20kg /44lbs to 60kg/132lbs (depending on the trim-level) lighter than the regular versions.
In Japan, the Toyota 86 RC is priced at 1.99 million Yen (~US$26,000 / €19,900), while the Subaru BRZ RA 2,058,000 Yen (US$26,900 / €20,600).
In both cases, the base Subaru and Toyota coupes cost approximately 500,000 Yen (~US$6,500 /€5,000) less than the next grade level.

PHOTO GALLERY

Toyota Readying a Supercharged Version of the GT 86

Toyota has repeatedly stressed that the GT 86 was developed as a pure, fun and easy to drive rear-wheel drive sports car, ignoring the horsepower race and concentrating instead on honing every detail of the chassis set-up.

In fact, the Japanese carmaker was so determined to stay true to its promise that it even included drift tests in its development program. The production model is said to have an estimated 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph).
However, almost everyone who has driven the 86 has found it lacking in oomph and, especially, low- and mid-range torque. In other words, you need to rev it hard to get the best out of it.
About a month ago, when the car was still known as the FT-86 and the first details were starting to leak into the web, we unveiled a Toyota Racing Development version of the car with a more aggressive bodykit.
Now, Autocar is reporting that Toyota chief engineer Tetsuo Tada has confirmed that TRD is indeed working on an even more powerful version of the GT 86 and prototypes are already being evaluated.
Despite the fact that Subaru, which provided the flat-four engine, employs turbocharging in its WRX and STi models, Tada said that he prefers supercharging as a way of increasing horsepower and low-end torque. That’s because, in contrast to turbocharging, it doesn’t affect throttle response of turbo lag nor the car’s drivability.
Supercharging has also been used in performance versions of previous Toyota models, such as the IS200, and as an aftermarket, TRD-developed power-enhancing accessory.
Toyota’s chief engineer wouldn’t reveal any numbers, but a 50HP increase in power should be easy.

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Toyota 86 in the Flesh from the Tokyo Motor Show [VIDEO]

What is Toyota’s first car with a front-mounted, horizontally opposed engine and rear-wheel drive? Surprisingly, even to most motoring hacks, it’s not the 86 (or GT 86 for European buyers).

It's a car that goes back almost half a century: the two-cylinder, boxer-engined Sports 800. So there you have it: another piece of information with which you can impress your friends.
This is 2011 though, and the latest boxer-powered, rear-wheel drive Toyota is the much talked about 86. It may have been officially revealed four days ago (and unofficially even earlier), but the Tokyo Motor Show gives the public its first chance to see Toyota’s sports car in the flesh.
 
Even though Toyota claims a 50 year-old heritage behind the 86, as everyone knows - heck even Snooki should be aware of this by now…- the rear-wheel drive coupe has been developed in cooperation with Subaru, which in Tokyo is displaying its own version, the BRZ.
And that explains why the 86 is powered by a Subaru-sourced flat-four engine with a 2.0-liter displacement and an output of 200HP and 205 Nm of peak torque at a rather high 6,600 rpm.
Toyota’s input in the engine is the addition of its D-4S technology that, in plain English, means it has both direct and port injection and a very high compression ratio of 12.5:1.
We’ll pass on the “Neo Functionalism” design which, even though Toyota claims harks back to its old sports cars, is not as impressive (to put it politely) in the production car as the numerous concepts had led us to believe.
The 1983 Corolla Levin/Trueno AE86 may have been the inspiration behind the 86’s creation, or it may just be a the marketing department milking the drift pose’s nostalgia for a modern iteration of a 1980s classic.
 
AE86 heritage or not, what concerns us the most is the execution. On paper, at least, the 86 has what it takes to fulfill the rather bold claims made by its maker.
For starters, the numbers that matter seem spot on. At 4.240 mm long and 1,285 mm high, the 86 is the world’s most compact four-seater sports car, which means that it’s actually a 2+2. The token rear seats though are irrelevant compared to the nearly ideal 53:47 weight distribution and the very low center of gravity of only 460 mm.
The McPherson strut and double wishbone front and rear suspension respectively, a six-speed manual or paddle-shift automatic transmission, the limited-slip rear differential and the VSC electronic stability control system that can be completely switched off, are also among the key points of interest for the 86’s target group.
 
Speaking of target group, Toyota insists that the 86 is not aimed at power-hungry consumers, but rather those who value a pure sports car with direct response and great feel. In other words, those who want a car they can drive every day and get the maximum pleasure out of its dynamics. It remains to be seen if consumers think the same.
Kudos to Ryan H. for the video tip!

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TOKYO MOTOR SHOW

EUROPEAN TOYOTA GT 86

JDM TOYOTA 86