2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept - AllCarIndex

Original name: トヨタ FT-86 コンセプト

TOYOTA TO UNVEIL NEW SPORTS CAR AND ELECTRIC CAR VEHICLE CONCEPTS AT TOKYO MOTOR SHOW

KEY POINTS

- World premiere of FT-86 sports car concept

- World debut for FT-EV II compact electric vehicle concept

FT-86 Concept

Great to own and fun-to-drive: those are the guiding principles behind a new Toyota sports car concept that will break cover for the first time at the Tokyo motor show later this month.

The five-seat FT-86 (that’s hachi roku in Japanese) goes back to the fundamental qualities of the classic sports car with its rear-wheel drive configuration, compact dimensions, low centre of gravity and lightweight construction. Under the bonnet there is a 2.0-litre boxer engine that is strong on both performance and environmental quality.

The show car’s bodywork is finished in Flash Red, an eye-catching shade that contains a hint of blue. Inside, the cabin design further expresses the car’s classic sporting qualities with many of the structural elements left uncovered.

FT-86 Concept Dimensions

Length (mm): 4,160

Width (mm): 1,760

Height (mm): 1,260

Wheelbase (mm): 2,570

FT-EV II

Tokyo will also mark the world debut of the FT-EV II, a compact electric vehicle designed for short distance travel. Its design and technology look to a future society where EVs will be in common use, among a range of different means of transport that will reflect user requirements, the type of energy used and the local energy supply infrastructure.

FT-EV II is a high-quality vehicle concept, designed primarily for urban driving with a body that is even more compact than that of the Toyota iQ, but still with room for four seats on board.

Drive-by-wire technology allows all the vehicle functions to be controlled using a joystick, including the accelerator, brakes and steering. Removing the throttle and brake pedals frees up legroom for the four-seat design.

The exterior features a low front cowl and an additional window below the level of the windscreen to give extra forward visibility. To improve safety through the quality of all-round vision, the rear lamp clusters are see-through LED units. To ensure easy access in tight spots, there are electric sliding doors on both sides.

Top speed is above 60mph and a full-charged battery will give a range of more than 50 miles, which is ample for most urban journeys. The ride is quiet and comfortable with smooth acceleration, thanks to Toyota-developed motor control technology, itself part of the hybrid system that sits at the heart of the company’s environmental technologies.

FT-EV II Concept Dimensions

Length (mm): 2,730

Width (mm): 1,680

Height (mm): 1,490

Wheelbase (mm): 1,900

The 41st Tokyo motor show will run from 24 October to 4 November at the Makuhari Messe.

SOURCE: Toyota 

HEROES OF THE PAST INSPIRE TOYOTA’S FUTURE SPORTS CAR VISOON

FT-86 Concept captures the spirit of the Celebrated Corolla AE-86

KEY POINTS

- FT-86 Sports Concept, Toyota’s vision for a future sports car

- European debut at Geneva motor show

- Designed and engineered to capture the spirit of the renowned Corolla AE86 of the 1980s

- Front-engine, rear-wheel drive format

- Lightweight, compact and aerodynamically efficient body

- Celica, MR2, Supra, Corolla AE86: Toyota’s great driver-focused sports cars of the past have inspired its vision for a future-generation concept model that makes its European debut at the Geneva motor show.

In creating the FT-86 (Future Toyota-86) Sports Concept, Toyota has directly referenced the excitement and fundamental fun-to-drive quality that characterised the Corolla AE-86. In its day the AE86 became a must-have model for rallying and circuit racing, with its front-engine, rear-wheel drive powertrain, compact dimensions, light weight, impeccable balance and strong power to weight ratio. Even more than 20 years on from the end of production, it remains a popular choice with privateer rally teams.

The FT-86 Sports Concept previews a new-generation Toyota sports car, designed to recapture the spirit of the AE86, sharing its front-engine, rear-wheel drive credentials.

Driver-oriented concept

The FT-86 is designed to deliver simple, dynamic power with environmental responsibility. It is an entirely driver-orientated car, engineered to capture the intrinsic joy of driving through precise, instantaneous responses to even the smallest throttle and steering inputs.

Rather than use a heavy, large displacement engine for performance, it is equipped with a free-revving 2.0-litre petrol unit with a six-speed manual gearbox with compact dimensions, light weight and a low centre gravity. Deployed in a front-engine, rear-wheel drive format, this powertrain delivers lively, accessible performance with engaging dynamic abilities and maximum driving pleasure.

Functional Beauty

Toyota’s ED2 European design and development centre dubs the styling of the FT-86 “Functional Beauty”, the classic sports car form having been generated entirely within the constraints of aerodynamics and function.

The low, highly aerodynamic bodyshell is stretched tight over the engineering hard points, and, measuring 4,160mm long overall, the bodywork has been rendered as compact as possible.

The cockpit is purely functional and ergonomically efficient, with widespread use of sporting, ultra-lightweight components and finishes that support the car’s balanced weight distribution and power to weight ratio.

Rather than treating the 2+2 interior design as a stylised addition to the cabin framework, a thin, tight-fitting skin has been applied to the essential cockpit components, as can be seen in the treatment of the dashboard and seat upholstery

The FT-86 measures 4,160mm long, 1,760mm wide and 1,260mm tall, with a 2,570mm wheelbase. It rides on 19-inch wheels shod with 225/40R19 tyres.

SOURCE: Toyota