So you’re pretty excited about the Toyota FT-86 hitting the roads in late 2011? It’s Toyota’s first ‘sports car’ in a really long time, it’s a coupe, it’s rear-wheel-drive and it will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine with 147 kW, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Sounds fun right? Well, if you want just a little bit more fun, you can wait for the Subaru version of the FT-86, dubbed the 216A, which will be powered by a 2.5-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder unit.
The Subaru 216A was recently spotted testing at the Nurburgring and spy photographers reported a front-mounted intercooler was visible through an opening in the front grille. Those unnamed sources we always hear of reportedly stated that the Subaru 216A will get the 195 kW version of the Impreza WRX’s turbocharged 2.5-litre boxer engine.
Overall, the Subaru 216A is expected to be styled a little more aggressively than the Toyota FT-86, despite the two cars sharing similar body panels. However, each manufacturer will differentiate the car with its own front grille, bumpers and wheels.
To refresh your memory, the Toyota FT-86 was inspired by the sporty Corolla AE86 of the 1980s, the production version of the FT-86 is reported to be powered by a 147 kW 2.0-litre Subaru-sourced engine, sending power to the rear-wheels.
