# Toyota FT-86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S \*NOW TURBO\* **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [March 5, 2010, 8:31am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992 "2010-03-05T08:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![fairgentleman\_Z](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fairgentleman_z/32/7263_2.png) [@fairgentleman\_Z](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/fairgentleman_Z)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 9:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/81 "2011-10-26T09:30:32Z")
> [@Onyx Z32](#): > > FT-86 ~ 200hp > BRZ ~ 300hp Subaru can bump up the power all they want, but the Toyota will still be faster in the downhill (“less power is more speed”). ---
**Author:** ![robftw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@robftw](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/robftw)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/82 "2011-10-27T11:08:38Z")
I’ve got an injury settlement check coming in the next month or two. I’m considering using that as a down payment on one of these… Or Ls1 swap my rx7… Choices… ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/83 "2011-10-27T11:11:52Z")
is this the production version? > **[Toyota FT-86 leaked in Modellista parts catalog?](https://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/27/toyota-ft-86-leaked-in-modellista-parts-catalog/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A%2Bweblogsinc%252Fautoblog%2B%2528Autoblog%2529)** > > Is this the final production version of the Toyota FT-86? Well, very likely, yes and no. What you're looking at is a scan from a catalog ostensibly leaked from Toyota's Modellista parts division that's making its rounds of the intertubes this fine... ![http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/ft86a.jpg](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/ft86a.jpg) ![http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/ft86b.jpg](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/10/ft86b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![boardjnky4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@boardjnky4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/boardjnky4)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/84 "2011-10-27T11:12:35Z")
I wonder what it will cost…probably around the same as STi? ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/85 "2011-10-27T11:13:49Z")
no, less than that… mid 20s MSRP would be my guess. ---
**Author:** ![Beck](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/beck/32/28683_2.png) [@Beck](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Beck)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/86 "2011-10-27T11:18:16Z")
If it’s worth having, I’ll have it. ---
**Author:** ![91MR2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/91mr2/32/7217_2.png) [@91MR2](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/91MR2)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 11:22am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/87 "2011-10-27T11:22:42Z")
I too am getting sick of all the delays and new concept drawings. This car is long overdue at this point, and it better be good after all this waiting… ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/88 "2011-10-27T19:15:58Z")
> [@theblue](#): > > is this the production version? I don’t trust anything that looks like it came out of one of those Japanese magazines, lol. ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/89 "2011-10-28T05:39:55Z")
if you read the autoblog article, it’s from modellista which is a Toyota in-house tuning company. this gives it some cred. I also think they would have gone a little more upscale, crazier on the interior shots if was just renderings. ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/90 "2011-10-31T13:12:30Z")
> Scans from a training manual. > Power/weight: > HP: 147kw (200ps) / 200hp @7000rpm > Torque: 205nm (151 lb/ft) @ 6600rpm > Weight: > ``` > 2662 ponds (1210kg) for base manual (~ 2580 lbs dry weight) > 2706 pounds for higher trim manual > > ``` > Columns: > First 2 column are for “small FR sport”, column 1 is a higher spec model, column 2 is a lower spec model. 3rd column is Mx5/Miata, 4th is RX8 and last is CRZ. It’s a comparison chart. > Top Section: > The top section is the dimension in mm, length width height wheelbase, ground clearance then number of seats. Next is weight. > Top spec manual is 1230kg, auto is 1250kg. > Low spec manual is 1210kg, auto is 1230kg. > Then its turning radius. > High spec rides on 17" wheels and low spec on 16. > Second Section: > This section is engine. Boxer 4 DOHC, 1998cc. Output as listed on 1st post above. Drinks premium unleaded and 50L fuel tank. > Fuel consumption base model: > 13 km/l > 30.58 mpg > 49.21 kmg > Fuel consumption top model: > 12.4 km/l > 29.17 mpg > 46.94 kmg > Third Section: > This section is front engine/rear drive, transmission type, suspension type, brake then tyre size. > High spec brakes: ventilated discs front and rear. > Low spec brakes: ventilated front, non ventilated rear. > Last Section: > Last section is equipment which is not that easy to understand. First thing I notice is top spec has LSD for manual and auto while low spec only has LSD on manual. I’ll post more if I can read more. > More update: > Both spec have VSC, front passenger and front and rear curtain bags. Top spec has front LED, leather steering wheel, 6 speakers audio (low spec has 2 speakers), white rev counter with shift light and sport pedals. Top spec also has “smart entry and start”. > MORE THINGS OF NOTE: > Strut front, double wishbone rear suspension > Base halogens, optional HIDs on base trim, standard HIDs on high trim > LSD on all MT cars > Stability control standard > Only 2 speaker audio on base car > High Spec: > ``` > Has "high-quality fabric" (上級ファブリック). > Option for leather heated seats with Alcantara inserts. > Steel door sill insert / scuff plate (ステンレス製ドアスカッフプレート） > Interior metallic door handle inserts > Carbon fiber center console trim > Door courtesy light > Knee pad on console > > ``` > The “Customize Grade” at the bottom is interesting: > ``` > the "customize grade" bare bones model is 1190 kg !! > Unpainted bumper > 16 steelies (says ornament-included, guessing it includes the logo) > plastic steering wheel > NO A/C (only a heater) > Power door locks > Sunvisor (no vanity mirror) > No speakers > > ``` > the car in fact does require premium unleaded gas (無鉛プレミアム) > the rear seat is one piece and is foldable (一体可動式） > did anyone mention that the high spec model comes with a digital speedo and tachometer? (デジタルスピードメーター revメーター） > ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2416&d=1320075926](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/c/a/ca8e7512ca51c1581b3ea71c01cbc68601b73445.php) > ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2421&stc=1&d=1320083347](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/7/1/7183415c39c36e81b385b7b02c83b1bba35e51b1.php) > **[Scion FR-S / FT-86 / Subaru BRZ Specs and Options. 200hp / 151 lb-ft tq -...](https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096)** > > Scion FR-S / FT-86 / Subaru BRZ Specs and Options. 200hp / 151 lb-ft tq Scion FR-S / Toyota 86 GT86 General Forum ---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:08 PM ---------- In case you missed it in the clutter of that post: **The “Customize Grade” at the bottom is interesting:** **the “customize grade” bare bones model is 1190 kg !! Unpainted bumper 16 steelies (says ornament-included, guessing it includes the logo) plastic steering wheel NO A/C (only a heater) Power door locks Sunvisor (no vanity mirror) No speakers** Embrace the stripped! ---
**Author:** ![Hortanica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Hortanica](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Hortanica)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/91 "2011-11-15T14:11:06Z")
[http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2227](http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2227) > Another Review > This time from the Spanish magazine “Autopista”, the most important and reliable of my country (IMHO) > The reporter was one of the six chosen to make a first evaluation of the prototype and give feedback to engineers. Like the other reviews so far (CAR, Autocar, Motortrend, C/D), he liked the car a lot. He says it drifts great and that the feeling is similar (despite the distances) to Renault RSs. > Though there’s almost nothing new in the article, there are some interesting statements I can’t remember seeing in the forum and I would like to share them. > ``` > The engineers assured him that there will be two manual gearbox options with different ratios > The Toyota will be the most affordable of the trio > The test unit was wearing Michelin Primacy HPs in 215/45 size on 17" wheels > > ``` > > **They have freed car’s electronics (ECU) so aftermarket industry can tune it at its will** > It’s going to be on sale on June of 2012 > There are some good photos of the reporter drifting the car, but the one I think it’s new is this: ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2606&d=1321050291](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/5/a/5a93ddf5cb8eb541b1bea899b49773a88dd83e45.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2613&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/6/a/6a0ee3de2e5ed650953e38b92115294540f49540.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2614&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/4/1/41abb972a3a7d8e1417d75fb3b57dec6b0890aac.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2615&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/e/a/ea9f1468d41c569f73328cd0907e24055b70c174.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2616&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/c/b/cb5819d7de960783bedb497fc1559df8cb930a4b.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2617&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/3/0/30cc51de42704187981e0cf714ec237f32b075a9.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2618&stc=1&d=1321054649](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/f/e/feba23a1be4fc7f2eb72f537b52bab1598ac0197.jpeg) ![http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2591&d=1320889307](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/5/4/54463b88bd626885bbb8191548bcdc37f77512cc.jpeg) 100hp per liter i guess is right between the 200-300hp estimates theyve been giving. ---
**Author:** ![POOPRA](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/poopra/32/7188_2.png) [@POOPRA](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/POOPRA)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/92 "2011-11-16T05:30:24Z")
So when are they projected to start building them? ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/93 "2011-11-16T05:35:20Z")
1. ---
**Author:** ![yamba6](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/yamba6/32/5161_2.png) [@yamba6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/yamba6)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/94 "2011-11-16T05:37:29Z")
I love it! Cant wait to see these around! ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/95 "2011-11-16T12:39:32Z")
This things looks pretty good, minus huge spoiler: ![http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/11/xlarge_0b72f29cbb9563e05615be50f9c06860.jpg](http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/11/xlarge_0b72f29cbb9563e05615be50f9c06860.jpg) ![http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/11/xlarge_da27f628659741ce985851eb69f2171d.jpg](http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2011/11/xlarge_da27f628659741ce985851eb69f2171d.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![91MR2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/91mr2/32/7217_2.png) [@91MR2](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/91MR2)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/96 "2011-11-16T12:45:12Z")
Man, how does Subaru find a way to ugly up everything they do…I hope the Toyota version looks better… To clarify, I like the concept and basic shape, but wing, fr. and rr. bumper cutouts, awkward shaped tails, chromed fender cutouts…eh… ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/97 "2011-11-16T12:48:41Z")
Expect the toyota version to look exactly the same, with MAYBE different bumper treatments. If you actually think the curves and lights from the concept are making it into production you’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/98 "2011-11-16T12:49:58Z")
If this is all that it’s been touted to be, I will liquidate my entire fleet and buy one. EDIT: Yeah Joe, quit being an IDIOT :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![rdandy5875](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/rdandy5875/32/7511_2.png) [@rdandy5875](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rdandy5875)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/99 "2011-11-16T12:50:40Z")
I think it looks great minus the wing. ---
**Author:** ![fairgentleman\_Z](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fairgentleman_z/32/7263_2.png) [@fairgentleman\_Z](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/fairgentleman_Z)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/toyota-ft-86-subaru-brz-scion-fr-s-now-turbo/79992/100 "2011-11-16T13:17:42Z")
> [@Hortanica](#): > > > Another Review > > > > They have freed car’s electronics (ECU) so aftermarket industry can tune it at its will I really hope so, I am very disappointed that the redline is 3500 RPMs early, a real tachometer can help unseal the car’s true potential. [http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-subaru-brz-sports-car-prototype-drive](http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-subaru-brz-sports-car-prototype-drive) > [@carANDdriver December 2011](#): > > Yoshio Hirakawa, Subaru’s senior manager for engineering, looks at me expectantly. My upper lip wears beads of sweat after a mountain-road flog in a prototype of the new front-engine, rear-drive Subaru BRZ sports coupe, a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota with production slated to start next spring. I tell Hirakawa that I’m convinced. I tell him that this car could not have been engineered by Toyota. Nope. No way. He bows deeply. > > Subaru called the secret meeting at a golf club in the hills behind Malibu. The internet is afire with rumors that Subaru is “getting a version” of Toyota’s new pseudo-Celica. Subaru sees the situation differently. The company maintains that it did the lion’s share of the engineering and development work on the car, and wounded corporate pride no doubt played a role in our invitation to drive it well in advance of its production. > > We started the day in a windowless room papered with blueprints of a car code-named “AS1,” which will be sold in the U.S. as both the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S, to which we say, “WTF happened to real car names?” Subaru project leader Hirakawa and Toshio Masuda, senior project general manager for product planning, laid out their case: The road map agreed to in April 2008 was for Toyota—which owns 16.2 percent of Subaru’s parent, Fuji Heavy Industries—to do the project planning and styling for the new car, while Subaru would handle engineering, testing, and production. The post-earthquake schedule, pushed back a couple of weeks by the disaster, has the assembly line rolling in May 2012 at Subaru’s build center in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. > > To reduce cost, Subaru and Toyota will share nearly identical versions. The common parts bin includes one circa-200-hp, port- and direct-injected flat-four engine; two Aisin six-speed transmissions, including a manual and a conventional automatic; one basic interior; and one set of body stampings and glass. Badges, wheels, and some small trim items will be different. Last year, Toyota decided to sell U.S.-bound cars as Scions, so technically there will be three iterations of the AS1, including those sold as Toyotas in foreign markets where Scion doesn’t exist. > > But whose car is it really? Senior project general manager Masuda says that only Subaru personnel were in the engineering bullpens and at the test track during the car’s three-year gestation. How often did Toyota check in? “Meetings with Toyota were always necessity based” and not regular, Masuda says, meaning that Toyota did not drive the project from the back seat. > > Masuda goes even further to assert that the engineering of the AS1 dictated its styling, rather than vice versa as with most sports cars. Toyota’s designers shaped the body but only after the hard points of the chassis, powertrain, and passenger compartment were fixed by Subaru > > “We delivered the best chassis we could,” he says, “and then the styling of the car was basically [Toyota’s] role.” > > We couldn’t see all the exterior details, thanks to heavy masking, but the shape seems fairly pragmatic. The hoodline isn’t terribly low considering there’s a flat-four underneath, and the roof arc and glass area seem generously shaped for passenger headroom and visibility rather than crumpet catching. If the AS1 proves to be less than voluptuous, at least it will be practical. > > The cabin décor also lacks flamboyance, but it is nicely detailed with an emphasis on function. The pedals, wheel, and shifter are located in harmonic relationships to each other, with a large dead pedal accepting your idle left foot. Three large circles place a tach accented by silver sweeps in the center of the cluster, with a speedo to the left and fuel/water-temp gauges to the right, all backstopped by an intriguing blue fish-scale pattern. A big “start” button on the console lights the engine, while simple rotary knobs control the climate settings. It’s hardly installation art, but it isn’t overtly cheapskate, either. > > To hold down cost, the AS1 will be welded from plebeian materials: steel, mainly, except for the aluminum hood. The Impreza-derived suspension consists of coil-over struts in front and a three-link rear suspension, also in steel and with cast-iron knuckles. The Subaru FB20 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer uses Toyota’s D4S dual port- and direct-injection technology. > > Compared with an Impreza, the AS1’s motor sits 4.7 inches lower and 9.4 inches closer to the center of the car. This down-and-back location essentially precludes all-wheel drive from ever being offered—at least, not with Subaru’s existing transaxles. The two-piece prop shaft runs through a carrier bearing on its way to the differential, which wears a Toyota part number. > > There are four seats and power windows but no sunroof. It’s a notchback, not a hatchback, with a trunk that opens to modest cargo space—we’d guess about 8 to 10 cubic feet—with a space-saver spare underneath. > > On paper, the AS1 is a relatively straightforward engineering set piece that belies the tough bogeys Subaru set for itself. The target curb weight was 2800 pounds, distributed with a slight bias toward the front axle. Even so, the handling benchmark was the mid-engine Porsche Cayman (which has a 45/55 weight split), and Masuda says the AS1’s center of gravity is 17.7 inches high, one inch lower than a Cayman’s. > > The price target was the toughest of them all, says Masuda. The base sticker is expected to land at about $28,000. At that price, the engineering team had to resist the allure of weight-saving materials and turbos. “The goal was to keep it basic and make it a real handling car,” says Masuda. “Horsepower was not our focus. If you want horsepower, we have the STI.” > > Masuda acknowledges that the platform will accept more power, but based on our sampling, it doesn’t need it. The BRZ prototype we drove embodies what Masuda and Hirakawa say they were aiming for: a rigid, shake-free platform that translates your driving impulses into instant kinetic action. The prototype felt spry and light-footed, beelining into bends with fingertip control through direct and reactive steering. That is, after deep-biting and progressive brakes have scrubbed excess speed. Both ends of the AS1 stayed stuck in high corner speeds, and when grip eventually overheated into slip, the car oozed gently between states. > > The BRZ feels more like a joint venture between Subaru and Lotus than a collaboration with Camrys-By-The-Billions, Ltd. > > The FB20 flat-four is said to make “200-plus” horsepower, so figure about 210 to 220 with a power peak that feels like it’s at 6500 rpm. The acceleration rush deflates during the extra thousand revs to the indicated **7500-rpm redline.** No doubt because of the direct injection, the flat-four revs far more lustily than any non-turbo Subaru, but the sound—basically that of an Evinrude outboard chasing smallmouth bass—is typical for a Subaru flattie. > > The six-speed automatic will have three modes: auto, manual, and “temporary manual,” which accepts driver downshifts through the paddles, then returns to auto. Subaru says it’s still fine-tuning the calibrations, but in the prototype we drove, an automatic, there was nothing to complain about in its seamless and well-timed gearchanges. > > At this point, the BRZ appears to be the car we’ve been waiting for—the inexpensive, rear-drive sprite the industry has somehow managed to avoid making for generations. It’s the spiritual descendent of the old-school Z, BMW’s 2002, the rear-drive \*Celica, and all the other lesser saints of bygone days. How was it that this car hid in Subaru, waiting to be chiseled from inert marble like Michelangelo’s David? Toyota certainly deserves some credit, and probably for more than just being the wealthy patron whose deep pockets helped make it happen. > > If Toyota has its own side to this story, let it be heard. It’s got our attention now. 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