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It's been circulating around the rumor mill since 2007 that Toyota was working on bringing back the AE86. Details have been changing as to what the car was going to be powered by, as well as the overall design aesthetic of the vehicle.

First, it was a 1.5-liter that was putting out approx 120bhp in a chassis that looked like a smoothed and stretched Caldina.  This was followed up by reports of collaboration between Toyota and Fuji heavy industries owed Subaru, a company that Toyota has 16% stake in, to bring a boxer powered, low dollar sports car to market.  Well if the photos from the Tokyo motor show are any indication, it seems as if the later reports are true. Revealed under the name FT-86, the car certainly does pay homage to its inspirational roots. Dimensionally, the car speaks volumes on the commitment of Toyota to maintain the feel of this classic chassis. The car is smaller in every way than the Genesis and the 370Z, the closest rivals of the car if it makes it to market. And even though in typical “New Age” fashion, its bigger than its predecessor. A close look at the numbers will reveal its not by much.

Here is a comparison of the

dimensions of the two cars side by side.

AE86 FT-86

L: 165.5 in L: 163.7 in

W: 64.0 in W: 69.3 in

H: 52.6 in H: 49.6 in

WB: 94.5 in WB: 101.2 in

Looking over the numbers, its clear that the new 86 is not that much larger that the old 86. However the issue will not be the size as much as the weight of the new vehicle. As with all new cars today, the FT-86 will come with a bevy of modern safety and  convenience features that Toyota is known for thus adding to the weight of the vehicle, something the engineers of the classic did not have to worry about. The AE86 prided itself on being a “light weight” FR machine. This was the crux of its prowess on the track as well as the mountains. As with many of the cars we hold in high esteem from back in the day, its wasn’t what the car had as much as what it didn’t have that made the 86 what it was to the many that held it in such high regard. A simple light weight machine with an FR layout that was fun to drive, toss around, and occasionally haul tofu in?!?(couldn’t help it!) I just hope that this time around Toyota realizes that less truly is more. Not to mention that Toyota has already tried their hand at this once before with the Altezza/IS300. Not to say that the IS300 was not successful in its own right but it was not the successor to the hachiroku that everyone hoped it would become.

With the demise of so many of Toyota’s cool cars lately, the Celica being the last on the chopping block, this car should be as important for Toyota as the re-launch of the Z and GTR lines were to Nissan. And with the success of the entire Scion line in North America as an indication, the youth are ready for some cool Toyota’s again!

- Keith Brown

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