Toyota bringing back AE86 as FT-86
The iconic Toyota Corolla GT-S, known as the Sprinter Trueno in Japan, was a 2-door hatchback that was first introduced in 1983. It had a 1.6L 4-cylinder U.S. engine with 112 hp and, more importantly, a balanced rear-wheel-drive chassis. It became more commonly known as the AE86, nicknamed after its chassis designation, and is popular on the Japanese drift scene till today, even though production ended in 1986. It achieved worldwide popularity only during this past decade, as the hero car in the Japanese animated series Initial D. And now, Toyota is readying a successor in the form of the FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
The FT-86, with the “86” pronounced as “hachi roku” in Japanese, is a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car, going back to the roots of the original. Toyota briefly says that it is intended to be light and compact, with a low ride height and a manual gearbox.
Power comes from a 2.0L 4-cylinder boxer engine, likely because Subaru will supply it, and will have its own version of the car. The actual FT-86, already confirmed for production, will be affordable and should cost just above $20,000.