Toyota FT-86 Sport Coupe Concept

With the demise of the Celica in 2006 and the MR2 in 2007, Toyota lost some of its sporty appeal especially for younger buyers.

However, with the new FT-86 sports coupe concept, developed with Subaru, the company is looking at regaining some of its lost mojo. Due for a world debut at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show, pictures and specifications of the FT-86 concept are already available. The concept car has also been featured in the new Gran Turismo 5 racing game.

The concept looks almost production ready except for the interior. Sporty styling and a purposeful stance follow on the lines of other sports coupes from Toyota.

Built on a modified Subaru Impreza platform, the concept is a 2+2 coupe powered by Subaru’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘boxer’ engine with 146bhp on tap. This power figure is not particularly impressive and considering that the production version of the FT-86 is still more than a year away, we can expect the final motor to be a new generation four-cylinder boxer unit with more power.

There’s also a possibility of a turbo version with more power. Like the MR2 and Celica the FT-86 concept is also rear-wheel drive.

The car will be sold as a Subaru in some markets and as a Toyota in others. The two companies have aimed to keep the sport coupe affordable and it’s expected to be priced around $30,000 when it finally hits showrooms in 2011.