Toyota 86 sports car reveal likely coming next month
After seeing the Subaru BRZ last year, it sounds like its sister car the 86 is just a few weeks away.
Friends and sports car enthusiasts, I come bearing good news. The Toyota 86, the Subaru BRZ’s twin, is likely coming in just a few weeks. On Thursday, Toyota and Subaru issued a joint release saying the two plan to reveal a new car on April 5. Without providing many details, the two simply said, “Let’s make ever-better cars together.”
The nugget that lends itself to a Toyota 86 debut is the fact that it isn’t just Toyota participating, but the company’s Gazoo Racing arm. GR handles most of the fun stuff the automaker builds, and although we know Toyota and Subaru plan for a jointly developed electric SUV, we haven’t heard a peep about GR’s involvement. There’s also no mention of an SUV in the text, which is further evidence this will be the sports car. You may also have noticed the twinning hood crease in the supplied photo, which looks a heck of a lot like the BRZ we’ve already seen. Trust me, it’s a good bet this is the 86.
Just yesterday a report suggested the new 86 is subject to a delay after Toyota President Akio Toyoda reportedly called for greater differentiation between the BRZ and 86. This new teaser suggests the delay may simply relate to the car’s actual launch, not the reveal. It’s not clear to what extent designers and engineers will tweak things, but by and large, the 86 will share a whole heck of a lot with the BRZ. The platform is a given, as is a 2.4-liter boxer-four engine. The BRZ makes 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, but it remains to be seen if the differentiation Toyota brass wants will result in mechanical changes or more power.
Stay tuned in case Toyota decides to drop any more information on the car, but mark your calendars for April 5 in the meantime.
