AIMS: FT-86G Coupe makes Australian premiere

Sporting character set to redefine the Toyota brand in the not-too-distant future, with the new model on sale post 2012
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Toyota took the covers off its sporty FT-86G Coupe at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, the second concept to preview the brand's next-generation rear-wheel-drive sports coupe, following the original FT-86 concept unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo motor show.

Toyota Australia's senior executive director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, told the Carsales Network: "We can expect to see the FT-86 in local showrooms post 2012".

Pricing and local specifications will be announced late next  year.

The FT-86G Coupe will fill the void in Toyota's line-up left by the departure of models like the Celica and MR2, and shares a character reminiscent of the now legendary Hachi Roku (or AE86) Corollas of the early 1980's, now prized among those on the Drifting circuit.

The "G" moniker is Toyota shorthand for sports conversion models and signifies a more aggressive styling and performance makeover. In the case of FT-86G, this translates to sharper sheetmetal and sleeker overall measurements, the coupe sitting even lower, wider and longer than its derivative model.

Highlights include a remoulded front fascia with larger air intake, exposed intercooler and vented bonnet. At the rear a large carbon-fibre wing, revised diffuser and oversized twin exhausts round out the exterior changes.

Under the bonnet, FT-86G receives a "specially tuned" version of the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Toyota says the front-engine, rear-drive FT-86G has received a significant performance upgrade.

"G" rides on 19-inch Bridgestone rubber while inside, Recaro seats have been installed in a nod to the added performance on tap.

For our full coverage of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney visit our minisite at carsales.com.au/aims

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