Toyota FT-86
Vehicle type: concept prototype/2-dr coupe
Studio chief designer: Gen Ikeda
Chief interior designer: Takayuki Nakajima
Lead interior designer: Jaromir Cech
Colour & trim designers: Junya Abe,
Katsuji Kanamaru
Project started: July 2008
Project completed: October 2009
Launch: Tokyo/October 2009
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The design of the FT-86 was carried out at Toyota’s ED² studio in France, with chassis, packaging and engineering support from Subaru and Toyota Japan. The four-seat coupe is much more than just a concept – it is a fully driveable prototype for a rear-drive sports coupe due in 2012, and the first of a new wave of exciting Toyota sports cars.
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Seen here are early theme sketches from July/August 2008 by lead interior designer Jaromir Cech. “The concept behind these sketches was to emphasize the lightweight feeling and toned muscle body of the dashboard, which is supported by a centre tunnel expressing a low center of gravity,” he says. “Our goal was to come up with a fresh new design for a compact sports car in order to capture the imagination of young customers. At the same time we were aware of the importance of keeping all the essential elements of a sports car – therefore the key phrase for the FT-86 concept is ‘Functional Beauty’.”
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