A hybrid Toyota GT86? I know what you're thinking: "What is this madness?!"
The original principle of the Toyota GT86 was meant to be pure and unadulterated-- to provide the best possible driving experience at an affordable price. Many drivers felt the Toyota GT86 was underpowered. What's more, some also believe that the price could stand to be a couple thousand lower still.
As great as the Toyota GT86 is, even the engineers can't shake the feeling that it's... somewhat flawed. As the next logical step, a more powerful version of a Toyota GT86 is in order. In fact, TRD will be developing a supercharger kit dedicated to the 86 by 2013. However, the Toyota GT86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada wants to take it up another notch. "I think 300-hp with a turbo and 200g/km of CO2 would be tasteless in this day and age. And a turbo would mean the loss of the GT86's uniqueness."
Tada continues, "We're looking for a surprise. Something unique. For example, a hybrid motor."
Is this how Toyota solves every problem nowadays? To throw a hybrid drivetrain at it? With Tetsuya Tada at the helm, the idea is far more complicated than that. "The THS (Toyota hybrid system) is good in town, but not for sporty driving or high-speed motorways.
"So we're looking at a next-generation hybrid. More like the TS030 Le Mans Prototype. We're looking into that possibility."
The Toyota TS030 prototype racing car only debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year so it's a true testament to Tada's genius to trickle down the race car technology to an entry-level sports car so soon. However, that's not the craziest bit of information we've learned. This is: when Top Gear prodded Tada some more during an exclusive interview, the mad engineer admitted that there is a GT86 prototype with a KERS system already running around somewhere!
Toyota's supercapacitor-powered KERS drivetrain first competed at the 24-Hour race earlier this June. By November, we've now learned that Toyota is already working to incorporate the technology into its sports cars. An unprecedented development cycle that is probably only possible for the largest automaker in the world, we can't wait for the upcoming GT86 KERS hybrid whenever it's finally ready for its close-up.
As a refresher, check out this awesome racing montage starring the mighty ts030-lmp1-hybrid-revealed/">Toyota TS030 prototype:
