Toyota’s ‘Baby 86′ Sportscar Could be Here by 2018

 

                    

Posted By Zach Doell            

        

 

These are exciting times for sportscar enthusiasts. With the all-new Mazda Miata reveal only weeks away, and both the Honda S2000 and Toyota Supra hopefully due in the near future – we’re comatose from two-door overload. But hold your horsepowers, because Toyota could be rolling out the best yet, at least for the Average Joe.

 

According to a new report from Australia’s Motoring, sources at Toyota suggest that an all-new, entry-level sports car is in the works, intended to slot directly below the GT86 platform (Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ). And get this – it’s reported to be a coupe hatchback cross. Can you say ‘AE86′?

Expected for 2018, and supposedly priced at around $20,000, the ‘baby 86’ will fulfill Toyota president Akio Toyoda’s longtime vision of a family of Toyota sports cars. If the reports are true, the new car will slot at the bottom of the lineup, followed by the GT86, and then the joint BMW/Toyota Supra.

The alleged prototype, a 2+2 cross hatch, is claimed to tip the scales at around 2,160 pounds, which hovers near the expected weight of the upcoming Miata. Extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber in the car’s body will help to keep weight down.

Power will purportedly come from Toyota’s 2NR-FE 1.5-liter four-cylinder, eked out to generate around 135-horsepower, complemented by the six-speed manual from the GT86, which will shuttle those horses to the rear wheels.

The report cites dimensions of 157 inches long, 66 inches wide, and 52 inches high – close to the size of the original MX-5. So when will the ‘baby 86’ break cover in concept form? The 2015 Tokyo Motor Show isn’t a bad bet. At least we hope.