Ever since the 'Toyobaru' hit the market last year, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding two things in particular -- a force induction version, and a drop top version.
Last year, Toyota in-house performance tuner Toyota Racing Development (TRD) finally unveiled a new FR-S World Challenge racing car fitted with an in-house developed supercharger at the 2012 SEMA show. Details on the new supercharger remains limited but sources believe the supercharger should be available at select Scion dealerships as early as next month.
Now, Toyota has released a taste of its latest endeavor, a GT86 convertible. According to Toyota, the FT86 Open Concept is scheduled to make its official public unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The philosophy of the FT86 Open Concept is straightforward -- a convertible version of a standard GT86 coupe. Power from the GT86 2.0 liter boxer-4 engine is expected to remain at 200 hp and 151 lb.-ft. of torque.
Earlier this week, an FT86 Open Concept was spotted in the flesh by CarMag, a South Africa-based auto site. According to sources, the FT86 Open Concept will officially launch as the FR-S Convertible before the end of the year.
While the Toyota GT86, and its variant Scion FR-S are both assembled alongside the Suburu BRZ at the Subaru manufacturing plant, Subaru has not expressed any interest in introducing its own BRZ Convertible.
When the Toyota GT86 was unveiled, it's predictable yet lively handling was most often compared with Mazda's iconic lightweight roadster, the MX-5 Miata. Both vehicles are little, lithe, front engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars that boast nearly identical performance and price points.
A flickable open top sports car inspired by the British roadsters of the past, Mazda designed its MX-5 as a drop top from the very beginning. This means Mazda made sure that the absence of a roof structure and the addition of chassis reinforcements would never upset the feel of the car.
While the bones of the GT-86 chassis received high praise for its highly communicative handling and its fantastic weight distribution, there's no denying that Toyota and Subaru did not design the original Toyobaru with a convertible in mind. After the coupe was released, a team of engineers had another year to figure out how to repackage the FR-S as a convertible without impacting its lightness, rigidity, sharp handling, and last but not least, its price premium.
A 'Catch 22,' if the FR-S convertible manages to remain affordable, then consumers could pay dearly for the corners cut by Toyota to keep costs at a minimum. The handling of the Scion FR-S is its crowning jewel and it would be absurd for Toyota to dare compromise it with floppy and spongey cowl shake.
On the other hand, if Toyota decides to use lightweight materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber to reinforce the structure of the FR-S drop top without tacking on too much extra heft and disturbing its distribution, then it wouldn't be a surprise for convertible to command a starting price exceeding $30,000. As a reference, the standard Mazda MX-5 starts at $23,720 while the sporty Club model starts at just $26,705, which is already a far more affordable and attractive prospect.
That said, one should never discount Toyota. What is impossible for other manufacturers might be nothing more than slightly challenging for the giant Japanese automaker. Time will tell and we look forward to learning more about the FR-S Convertible in the weeks ahead.
Now it's your turn. Do you think Toyota has what it takes to create a Scion FR-S convertible without ruining it? Let us know in the comment section below!
