The FINANCIAL — If you are plagued by recurrent dreams where you’re barrelling along some Japanese mountain roads to deliver some Tofu in your dad’s Hachi Roku, here’s a bit of good news for you.
After a painfully drawn out tease, that lasted several years and spawned two concepts, Toyota has finally revealed the follow up to the Initial D-star.
And it’s got its work cut out: the GT 86 is charged with making one of the most beige brands in the world desirable again.
The four-seat, two-door coupé, which was co-developed with Subaru, features the latter’s 2.0-litre boxer engine serving up 197bhp and 204Nm of torque to the rear wheels.
At 4,240mm the GT 86 is marginally longer than the original — and might we add, irrepressibly drifty — AE 86, but its 53:47 front:rear weight distribution and low centre of gravity should ensure interesting handling characteristics. The interior is suitably no-frills with a six-speed manual taking pride of place in the cabin.
Although performance figures haven’t been revealed yet, its low kerb weight should ensure sprightly acceleration.
The GT 86 is expected to hit Middle East markets in mid-2012 and will be priced competitively to steal sales from the likes of Volkswagen Golf GTI.
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