There is arguing about the striking differences between Toyota’s GT 86 and Lexus’ LF-A supercar. Honestly, the former doesn’t even belong in the latter’s category.
Even though there’s a huge disparity in performance, it doesn’t mean that the GT 86 can’t look the part of the LF-A, which is something the imaginative people from DAMD decided to do when they went and gave the GT 86 a full LF-A makeover.
At first glance, you can hardly tell the difference between this rechristened "LFT-86" from the standard version. Once you take a closer look, however, you’ll notice that the cars bumper and the triangular-shaped side vents are near replicas of the mighty Lexus supercar’s bumper and side vents. The side skirts have also been fitted to mimic the LF-A, as has the rear bumper with the honeycomb vents, the diffuser, and, last but not least, the inverted pyramid-style tri-tailpipes.
About the only thing missing is the 560-horsepower, 4.8-liter V-10 engine of the LF-A. Guess anybody who gets this kit will have to settle for the 200 ponies of the GT 86.
The Toyota Mark X G Sports Carbon Roof Concept is a car that we probably won’t ever get to see on these shores. Having said that, it’s a pretty popular ride in Japan and Toyota is doing its part to drum up even more interest on the sedan in its homeland.
At the Tokyo Auto Salon, the Mark X G Sports Carbon Roof Concept was displayed. For this model, though, the Japanese automaker decided to introduce a carbon-fiber roof that not only looks pretty cool, but also shaves off 6 kg (13.2 pounds) of fat from the sedan. With the new roof, Toyota was also able to lower the car’s center of gravity by 3.5 mm (0.137 inches), which is always a good thing when trying to improve handling. The carbon-fiber weave pattern on the roof is an unmistakable reminder of the material’s high-quality characteristics.
Add that to a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces 318 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and mates to a six-speed automatic transmission, and you have a car that’s poised to be a hot ticket in Japan. Wish we had this baby stateside because it would get considerable interest here too.
At only 200 horsepower, the Toyota GT 86 is one of those sports cars that are just ripe to be modified. That’s probably the reason why the GT 86 has become an aftermarket favorite and rightfully so because it’s one sick ride.
Racing outfit TOMS has been involved with Toyotas since the 70’s so it’s no surprise that with the `Yota getting back into the world of sports cars, TOMS has taken the task to build their own take on it. That’s how the N086V was born.
There are some aesthetic and aero changes done on the car, including a new front bumper, new wheel arch extensions, and a new set of 18-inch TOM Igeta wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires. The interior also received its share of carbon parts, which offers a more luxurious feel to the car.
But the main event of this program is undoubtedly under that hood, or to be exact, what was taken and out and what was put in. See, the GT 86’s stock 2.0-liter engine has been replaced with a 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V-6 engine that you’ll typically find in a Lexus GS 350.
With that powertrain in tow, the N086V produces up to 395 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Do the math and that’s almost twice as many ponies lurking inside the sports car, waiting to be unleashed at the slam of a pedal.
To accommodate the dramatic increase in output, TOMS’ installed a reinforced clutch, high-performance brakes, and a new coil-over Advox suspension just to make sure the handling of the car can be kept in check.
If there was a way to properly comprehend the custom work done on this Toyota GT 86, we don’t get it. We suppose Toyota’s Original Accessory division had an idea what it wanted to build to display at the Tokyo Auto Salon, but this custom-tuned GT 86, dubbed the 86xStyle Cb, is something that leaves us more confused than anything.
The rationale behind this project appears to be the collaboration of classic and modern design elements for the GT 86. The new snout on the car completely changes the GT 86’s look, ridding the front of all the aggressive styling elements that make it popular. To be fair, the rear end of the car looks pretty good, thanks in large part to the addition of new taillights, a duck-bill spoiler and a modified bumper housing with new exhaust pipe outlets.
Rounding out the exterior modifications is a set of 18-inch BBS wheels wrapped in 215/45 and 225/45 tires on the front and rear, respectively. Also added in is a performance brake system upgrades courtesy of Brembo.
There are not many interior mods done on the 86xStyle Cb, apart from dressing it up in dark-brown leather and the installation of illumination on the dashboard.
All in all, this custom tuned GT 86 is something that doesn’t really move our awesome meter. The front end looks like it was transported back from the past to combine with a more modern rear. As far as we’re concerned, somewhere along the line, that transformation hit some bumps.
Toyota will offer proof that the hybrid technology is "no barrier to creating eye-popping custom concepts" at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon the. It will achieve this with the unveiling of the Aqua G Sports — a concept car based on the Prius hatchback — a model that quickly become one of Japan’s best-selling cars since its launch last year.
The new Aqua G Sports concept adds a more aggressive appearance to the exterior and interior, plus a re-tuned suspension and body-reinforcing braces to strengthen its sporting character and handling. Despite these updates, the Aqua concept keeps the usual hybrid powertrain found in the Prius. This means the new Aqua concept will be powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 99 horsepower combined with an electric motor that adds another 82 horsepower.
Full details on the new Toyota Aqua G Sports concept will be unveiled during its official debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon.
Most of you are likely waiting for Sunday to see the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette in Detroit, but GM’s Japanese customers will have the chance to see a special-edition Camaro at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The new Camaro Giovanna Edition will be offered in V-6 versions priced at 4,990,000 YEN ($55,800 at the current exchange rates) and V-8 version with prices starting at 5,990,000 YEN ($67,000).
The updates on the exterior are minimal, but they update the look of the car pretty well, as GM adds in GT body striping, a custom fuel door with a “Giovanna Edition” logo, and SS and RS emblems on the front end. The car sits on a set of bespoke 20-inch alloy wheels.
For the interior, Chevrolet added special headrests and exclusive door sill plates with Giovanna Edition logos.
Full details will be unveiled during the car’s official debut in Tokyo and we’ll post them as soon as we get them.
Toyota will come to this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon with 10 updated models and four of them are based on the road-going GT86 — known as the "86" on the Japanese market. The four 86 concepts to be displayed in Tokyo will be the 86 x style Cb, 86 Modellista, 86 TRD Griffon and TOM’S N086V.
The standard GT 86 has attracted worldwide praise for its sporting looks and character, but it is only the start for some of the world’s top design houses. For example, the one developed by Modellista features a very aggressive body kit, a carbon-fiber hood and a new set of wheels.
No other details have been provided just yet, but the first image we have reveals a concept car painted red combined with numerous black elements. Full details will be unveiled during the car’s official debut in Tokyo. We’ll bring you all of the details once Toyota and Modellista release them.
Details are still very sketchy and all we have to show you is the blurry teaser image that TRD has unveiled, but there is a new GT 86 concept from TRD heading to the Tokyo Auto Salon. Sure, we already talked about the new Sports FR Concept Platinum and how awesome it is, but its partner in Tokyo – the GT 86 Griffon Concept – just may blow it out of the water.
Like we said, the details are sketchy, but we do know that TRD went to task lowering the GT 86’s overall weight, then tweaked at least the suspension and exhaust. TRD then took the GT 86 Griffon out to the Tsukuba circuit and laid rubber to tarmac, netting a best lap time of 1:01.872.
That may seem like nothing on paper, but when you start adding in the fact that time beats out times of the Ferrari 458 Italia, Ferrari 360 CS, Nissan GT-R Spec-V, Corvette ZR1, Lambo Gallardo, Porsche 911 GT2, and so on, you realize that this must be one beastly `Yota GT 86.
We will find out more on the 11th of January when TRD officially releases the specifications, but were are 100-percent certain that there is a lot more tweaking going on than just some suspension stiffening and exhaust work.
We’ll update this review once we get the official info.
UPDATE 01/11/13: With just a few hours before its official debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota has unveiled the first official image of the 86 TRD Griffon. Enjoy!
Seeing as the Tokyo Auto Salon will be take place in Honda’s home country, nobody should be surprised to find out that the Japanese automaker will be there in full force, showcasing a number of special-edition models and custom-tuned vehicles.
One of the latter is the Mugen-tuned Honda CR-V. Looking at the first set of images of the completely tricked out SUV, you’d think that Mugen did a real number on the vehicle. Well, it did, fitting the CR-V with plenty of new components that make the standard model almost look bland.
For one, the new front grille is way more aggressive on this version and it even comes with a huge brushed-aluminum bar. There’s also a new front bumper, chrome fender trims and a faux skid plate for added aesthetic appeal. Along the sides, wider side skirts were installed and the rear looks to have gotten a new bumper cover with stacked exhaust outlets. Lastly, a roof spoiler was added for a sportier look.
There’s still no word on whether Mugen modified the interior and engine, but there’s a good chance that it did and opted to keep those under wraps until the program makes its official debut in January.
Chevrolet may not be bringing its full armada of vehicles to the Tokyo Auto Salon, but for an American automaker that’s going halfway around the world, its offerings of two special edition concept vehicles and a limited-edition Camaro is impressive enough on its own right.
One of the aforementioned special-edition vehicles is the Chevrolet Captiva Freedom Rider, a subtly modified Captiva crossover that comes with a black body with baby blue accents on the lower-front bumper, the wheel arches, the door panels, and the set of 20-inch “Gianna Crown” alloy wheels. A new chrome grille was also added, as were new side steps and window surrounds. Judging by the rendering Chevrolet released, the Captiva Freedom Rider appears to also have a roof rack that can hold a full-sized mountain bike.
The Chevrolet Captiva Freedom Rider, together with the Sonic Street Edition and the Camaro Giovanni Edition, will comprise Chevrolet’s participation at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon. It’s not a lot to go by, but these vehicles, including the Captiva Freedom Rider, do have some appealing qualities.
We’ll see if any of them actually hit production in some form.
