Friday, March 1, 2013

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer Fans of the Toyobaru twins who want to roll in top-down style may soon have their wish granted, as the Toyota FT-86 Open Concept bound for Geneva previews what a production Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ convertible might look like. Now, images of that car have leaked ahead of its Geneva debut next week, leaving none of the two-door’s roofless silhouette to the imagination.

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer

 Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer















Toyota FT-86 Open Concept Leaks Ahead of Geneva, FR-S Convertible One Step Closer

From the outside, things look just as you’d expect s convertible version of the coupe to look like, with few changes made to the body apart from the folding soft-top. Move to the inside, however, and you’ll notice a big jump in interior quality, with white, perforated leather seats, white trim pieces and steering wheel accents, and a generally more upscale feel. Contrasting the rest of the car is a yellow carpet, which oddly seems to fit in this concept. The center stack features three circular gauges flanked by a GT 86 emblem that doubles as a cell phone holder. The switchgear looks the same as in the normal GT 86 coupe, with no switch for a power top readily apparent. This could mean the concept sports a manual fabric roof like that of the Mazda MX-5, which will undoubtedly be this car’s biggest competitor if produced.
The FT-86 convertible retains the coupe’s 2+2 seating, and Toyota claims the folding fabric top doesn’t have a huge impact on cargo capacity. Using the same 200-hp flat-four engine, the car can be mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, the automaker says, and the latter with paddle shifters. The GT 86 was designed with a convertible variant in mind, and of course Toyota’s goal is to engineer the convertible to be “weight neutral” compared to the production coupe.
We’ll know more about the FT-86 Open Concept when it’s officially unveiled next week in Geneva. But until then, enjoy the large gallery of leaked photos below. What do you think of the Toyobaru convertible?

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