Press Release: New FT86 Subaru Edition to Debut in Geneva… in a RWD Form

With all these “buzzings” coming from the Toyobaru, Subaru has been pretty silent about their variant of the platform. Word is now that it IS going to be Rear Wheel Drive and we have mixed feelings about this platform because of that. Meaning that the Toyota and Subaru differences will only be by skin and that’s about it. What about an STi form?

Tokyo, January 14, 2011 – Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, today announced that it will exhibit the “SUBARU IMPREZA CONCEPT” and the “Subaru Trezia” as European premieres at the 81st Geneva International Motor Show slated for March in Geneva, Switzerland (Press day: March 1 and 2; Open to the public from March 3 through 13, 2011). The “Subaru Rear-Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept” will also be showcased as a world premiere.

<Subaru Rear-Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept>

A Subaru rear-wheel drive sports car is currently under joint development as part of the business alliance with Toyota Motor Corporation. Based on an all-new platform, the vehicle will offer Subaru’s distinctive trademark and core technology: the “Horizontally-Opposed Subaru Boxer engine”. The concept embodies Subaru’s established know-how in manufacturing boxer-powered passenger cars; it shows how Subaru proposes to integrate this expertise into a rear-wheel drive car to offer a new and highly enjoyable, Subaru-like driving experience. The technology concept will demonstrate how the all-new car platform makes full use of Subaru’s engineering and Boxer technology.

We can’t wait to see this car (Finally) in the flesh!

Source: Autoblog

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Rumormill: Could a Toyobaru already being built for Drifting?

Ahh I might as well call today Toyobaru day since I have another FT86 article coming up the pipeline shortly. Our good friends at Wrecked Magazine got tipped off that Papadakis Racing (Tanner Fousts’ car builder) has already received a FT86!

Word from some reliable sources has it that Papadakis Racing (team owner of Tanner Foust’s Scion tC) has a new Scion FT-86  in it’s possession. We have also been told it might already be caged! We revealed 10 days ago a caged Scion tC that we are certain will be his 2011 Formula Drift car. Judging by the rumored release dates of this Scion FT-86 it appears that Tanner and Steph could be building a 2012 car already to start testing and make this thing a contender in 2012.

Could a production ready version already be out for teams to use? Could it be that they’re ready to release these cars? Could Subaru of America send us one to build? (wink wink).

Rumor Mill: The Mystery 86 Boxer Logo Floating Around…

This may be one of two things, a leaked logo of the new Toyobaru “FT-86” or just a clever viral marketing by Toyota. Either way, this brings a lot into the light for the up coming Toyota / Subaru coupe.

Has a bit of the Super Hero look to it which I dig (BoxerMan? 86Boy? 86BoxerAvenger?). If we get more info on this, you’ll find it on Subie-life.com!

New photos of the FT-86 / Toyabaru Test Mule!

Seems like it’s Test Mule Friday today as we have new photos of the Toyabaru Test Mule!

As you can see in the pictures, seems like this Test Mule will retain the “Subaru Scoop” so we’re hoping that it retains the current 2.5 Turbo power plant for the Top Mount Intercooler.

The rest of the exterior is pretty much the same but it won’t tell us much about the final production vehicle due to the fact that it’s a test mule.

Here’s the part that got me giggling like a little girl, interior shots. Although the exterior look very familiar to the current Impreza, the interior looks nothing like a current Subaru. The chassis is based off the Legacy, the interior has odd cues like the top mounted air conditioner vents and the side panels. Also the gauge cluster is different from the Legacy or Impreza so this is pretty much a new interior.

So, are we excited for this? You’re darn right we are. We look forward to the progress of the Toyabaru as it becomes closer to production! A new coupe from Subaru and it’s taken them over 10 years!

Autoblog spots the Toyobaru 2 Dr. Test Mule in Death Valley

So, a couple of months ago, Toyota announced that they’ve pushed back the development on the “FT86” or the “Toyobaru”  2 Door Flat 4 sports car but seems like Subaru is moving right ahead with their test mule spotted in Death Valley. Test Mules are generally put together to test out engineering and don’t really follow the exterior design traits found in actual production cars.

Call it a bastard child between an STi and a Scion tC but it’s a good sign that Subaru is going back to making coupes again! Check out what Autoblog had to say about this Test Mule:

We’ve read many reports lately having to do with Toyota‘s FT-86 rear-wheel drive sports coupe, but we mustn’t forget that Subaru will be getting its own version of this new two-door – it is a joint venture, after all. Our spies have captured this obviously Subaru-bodied mule out testing in Death Valley, showing that things are still on track for the “Toyobaru” to come to market in the near future.

Details are still very slim on what Subaru’s version of the FT-86 will offer, and contrary to the brand’s image, the new coupe may not be available with all-wheel drive. If that’s the case, Subaru will have to offer a lot more in the way of styling (and perhaps power) to differentiate it from its Toyota sister. This latest prototype has sprouted a hood scoop not seen on earlier test cars, suggesting that a top-mount intercooler could be underhood, though it’s also possible that this is just the result of some WRX/STI parts being used for camouflage purposes.

Toyota is expected to launch its version of the FT-86 in November of 2011, so keep your fingers crossed for Subaru’s version to drop around the same time. For now, see a glimpse of what’s to come in our high-res gallery of spy shots below.

Check out more photos on the Autoblog post!