Toyota Applies Awesome Historic Le Mans Liveries to 86
Toyota is hoping to win the 86th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with one of its two TS050 Hybrid LMP1 cars.
To mark the upcoming race, Toyota’s UK arm has applied three Le Mans liveries to the road-going Toyota 86 sportscar. Our favorite of the three is by far the funky red and white one, which is intended to mimic that of the iconic 1998 TS020 GT-One. The blue Casio livery is intended to look like the Toyota TS010, which was powered by a screaming 700 hp 3.5-liter V10, while the modern-looking red, black and white livery is a recreation of the current day Toyota TS050 Hybrid.
“The GT86 gives us a great canvas on which to pay tribute to some of the amazing Toyota race cars that have thrilled the crowds at Le Mans,” said Toyota press manager James Clark. “Response to our earlier retro-liveried coupes was fantastic and we hope these new cars – all strictly one-off creations – will generate the same kind of enthusiasm as we approach this year’s 24-hour race.”
SEE ALSO: Toyota Pays Tribute to Initial D with GT86 Concept
The Japanese automaker came close to winning Le Mans in 2016 before its TS050 lost power completely, forfeiting the win to Porsche in an absolutely heartbreaking turn of events. It stands a good chance at winning the 24 hour race this year, though, with Toyota being the only manufacturer in the LMP1-H class. The non-hybrid LMP1 cars are similarly as quick as the hybrid cars, but as long as the Toyota’s can keep their noses clean, they should be in a class of their own for most of the race.
The 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans will kick off on June 16th, 2018.
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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appreciate the passion, but they could have done this to their Supra race car (yes, Japan only) and garner an even MORE passionate following; oh well, just one more missed opportunity by a car brand. Not sure if it is me, but is this the best the Toyota UK arm could do on the wheels? Did they have a limited budget or is this as close as the aftermarket could offer to get the look? Also, did you notice the #28 has different tires than the other two - interesting. I also can't tell if the wheels are the same sizes on each of the cars.