Toyota GT 86 Sports Coupe Officially Revealed in Production Guise

The wait for the most hotly anticipated (and teased, may we add..) sports cars of the year, the production version of the Toyota FT-86 2+2 coupe, is finally over as the Japanese automaker came out with all the juicy details ahead of the car's world premiere at the at the Tokyo motor show on November 30.

In Europe, the new Toyota will be called the GT 86 in tribute to the Japanese firm's GT car heritage and especially the Corolla GT (or Levin) AE86, which inspired its creation. The Japanese domestic market version will be aptly called 86.
The GT 86 is the result of a joint Toyota and Subaru development programme that will spawn two more models, the global Subaru BRZ that will also make its debut in Tokyo next week in production trim, and the North American market Scion FR-S.
All three cars will share the same platform and mechanical hardware including the Subaru-sourced flat-four, with only minor styling differences between them.
The story of the GT 86 began in October 2009 with the unveiling of the first FT-86 Concept in Tokyo and was followed by the almost production ready FT-86 II concept at the 2011 Geneva motor show this past March.
The exterior styling of the GT 86 is what we would best describe as more "Fast & Furious" than the original FT-86 concept, which had a sleeker, simpler and overall more European feel to it – but that was something to be expected after seeing the second iteration of the FT-86.
The interior design of the sports coupe is generally uncluttered featuring a three-meter instrument cluster arranged around a large tachometer and a large center screen for the audio and navigation systems.
The dashboard gets a carbon-effect trim, while there's all-black roof lining, red stitching on the upholstery, aviation-style rocker switches and lightweight, aluminium pedals.The GT 86 is also fitted with 365mm diameter steering wheel, which is said to be the smallest ever fitted to a production Toyota.
The GT 86 measures 4,240mm long (166.9-in.), 1,285mm (50.6-in.) high and 2,570mm (101.2-in) wide, which Toyota says make it the most compact four-seater sports car available in the market today.
Under the hood, you'll find Subaru’s new, horizontally opposed, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine upgraded with Toyota's D-4S direct injection technology that delivers 200PS (197bhp/ at 7,000rpm and a peak torque of 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) at 6,600rpm.
A standard six-speed manual gearbox with a short-throw lever or an optional six-speed automatic transmission that can be controlled using paddle shifts mounted on the steering wheel, drive the rear wheels via a limited slip differential.
Toyota says that both the powertrain and the driving position have been set "as low and as far back as possible to achieve the best balance" with the GT 86 boasting a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution – though the company has not yet announced the car's weight. The 2+2 sports coupe also has a very low center of gravity, at just 475mm (18.7-inches).
The suspension features MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear, while the standard version of the car rides on 17-inch wheels (18-inch for the JDM model) and is fitted with ventilated disc brakes all around.
Aside from the ABS, the GT 86 is also equipped with switchable vehicle stability control systems, which Toyota claims "have been tuned specifically to deliver dynamic stability at the limit of the car’s performance with minimal electronic intervention to help preserve the purity of the driving experience".
We'll keep digging for more information on the new Toyota GT 86 as well as its Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S siblings and bring it to you as we get it. In the meantime, hop over the break to check out the high-resolution photo gallery.

EUROPEAN TOYOTA GT 86

JDM TOYOTA 86

Read More

Formula 1: Brazilian GP Qualifying Results

In Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel matched Nigel Mansell’s record of 14 pole positions in a single Formula 1 season, which stood for 19 years. In the final qualifying session of the season at the Brazilian track of Interlagos, he had his last chance to break it - at least for the current season.

Which of course he did, consistently beating his teammate Mark Weber who will line up beside him on Sunday's starting grid.
"There has been quite some talk before the qualifying, before this weekend, about this particular record and I think the best thing was just not to think about it at all”, said Vettel after qualifying.
“Yesterday we did have sort of a rough start to the weekend where I wasn't 100% happy with the balance yet but then I think we made the right choices overnight and again going in to qualifying,” he added.
Despite topping the timing seats on Friday’s second free practice session, breaking Red Bull's domination on the other two, Lewis Hamilton did not perform as well in the official qualifier. He was 0.2 seconds slower than Jenson Button was in the other McLaren, and 0.562 seconds slower than Vettel.
Predictably, given the teams’ overall performance in 2011, Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari was in fifth place. Nico Rosberg was quick enough in practice to challenge the Spaniard, but eventually had to settle with beating the second Ferrari with Felipe Massa, as well as his team mate in Mercedes GP, Michael Schumacher, who couldn’t manage anything better than 10th place.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Read More

Fiat Abarth 500 Takes on Subaru Impreza WRX STI on Italian Track

The Abarth 500, especially when fitted with the 'essesse' performance package that lifts the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output to 160-horses, is a capable little beast for its size and price, but is that enough to challenge a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI on the racetrack?

Well, as any driver with some experience on the circuit will tell you, it’s as much about the car as it is about the person sitting behind the wheel. That said, the Abarth 500 shouldn't come close to an STI in the right hands but it's plausible under certain circumstances.
Youtube poster Marchettino says that he was able to chase the Impreza WRX STI –even though it was modded, which could potentially mean that it packed close to 300-ponies under its hood, with his Abarth 500.
"While driving at Franciacorta racetrack I played with a modified Subaru Impreza WRX Sti," said Marchettino. "I was also very surprised to keep up with such a fast car with my Abarth. Unfortunately, my GoPro HD [video camera] stopped to record the action for no reason!"

VIDEO:

Read More

Top 10 concept cars that never made it to production

CONCEPT CARS are part of the automotive industry, and have been for the last 50 years. We love them, but the problem is a lot of them never make it into production.

Car manufacturers often like to just give us teasers of up and coming ‘design influences’, as opposed to actually building the damn sexy car they’ve just mocked up.

It is an annoying notion, so with that being said, here are the ten best looking concepts that were never given the go-ahead:

Read More

VW Passat Goes Off-Road with Alltrack Version

The VW Group, and more specifically Audi, was the one that started the high-riding estate craze with its A6 Allroad in 1999. Based on the regular A6 Avant, the Allroad featured an all-wheel drive quattro system, higher ground clearance, an adjustable-height air suspension, all-terrain tires and flared fenders, gaining a more adventurous appearance.

Now, Volkswagen has released the first-ever crossroad version of its Passat mid-size model, named the Passat Alltrack. It will receive its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show on December 3 and will go on sale in early 2012.

A successful recipe is not meddled with so the (European) Passat Estate-based Alltrack has all the goods one expects in the segment: raised suspension height, stainless steel-look front and rear underbody protection panels and plastic covered wheel arches that house 18-inch alloys.

Ground clearance has been increased from 135mm to 165 mm. This has improved the ramp breakaway angle from 9.5 to 12.8 degrees, while the redesigned front and rear bumpers have increased approach and departure angles from 13.5 to 16 degrees and from 11.9 to 13.6 degrees respectively.

The 4Motion all-wheel drive system uses an electrohydraulic Haldex clutch. Under normal use, it sends 90% of the power to the front axle and just 10% to the rear, though when necessary almost 100% can be directed to the rear axle.

The Passat Alltrack also sports an off-road mode, which works at speeds up to 30 km/h (18 mph). When the driver switches it on through dashboard-mounted button, the system activates hill descent assist, which automatically brakes the vehicle when the descent angle is greater than 10 degrees, and also alters the function of the ABS and the electronic differential locks (EDS).

On DSG-equipped cars, it also increases the transmission’s change points to make the gas pedal easier to modulate, and it doesn’t upshift when in manual mode.

The Alltrack will be available with two turbocharged direct injection petrol engines delivering 160HP and 210HP, and two turbodiesels with 140 and 170HP.

The 170HP diesel and the 210HP gasoline engines will feature all-wheel drive and a dual-clutch DSG transmission as standard, while the 140HP diesel will be optionally available with all-wheel drive.

Volkswagen did not say if the Passat Alltrack will be offered in the States.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More