Toyota has released details of the base spec GT86 due out later this year, costing around £16k in Japan. The model will be a bare bones version of the coupe that’s anticipated to take the sports car market by storm. Shedding not only all the luxuries and creature comforts but even bodywork paint! The Toyota GT86 RC is the cheapest of the 4 release versions. The car is even supplied on bare steel wheels with 205 section rubber.
Details of the stripped out specification:
- No stereo
- No aircon
- Unpainted bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors
- 16″ Steel wheels
- No fog lights or interior boot light
- No LSD
These changes slash £10,000 off the UK list price and 40kg off the kerb weight, which is down to 1190kg. The car is designed to offer tuners and customisers a model to build onto without needing to buy a high spec model and ripping all the equipment and unnecessary bodywork. This idea is not new, Mitsubishi used to provide their top of the line supersalloon. The Lancer EVO was available in bare spec including steel wheels, known as the RS spec.
In the UK we’ll get a finished and well equipped car, including Limited Slip Diff, dual zone aircon, 17″ alloys, HID lights and cruise control. Prices in the UK will start from £25k. The car has already been acclaimed for its balance and control. Below is a video demonstrating its capabilities as a drift car straight out of the box.
What Toyota may have inadvertently done is provide a car which is much more in keeping with the original Toyota Corolla AE86. I personally would get the Toyota GT86 RC model and paint the bodywork and leave the rest as is.