#ToyotaFt-86Concept

This is not the first time we have seen the FT-86 Open Concept, but Toyota has given the car a new red paint job and has finally released a photo of the car with the top closed before it debuts at the Tokyo Auto Show. 

With the Toyota FT86 Open Concept unveiled last week, Scion FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada explained that the cabrio was inevitable. However, in a new post by Toyota on a corporate blog, Tada isn’t quite done with his vehicle yet, and is looking forward to more FR-S based machines.

Despite rumors that the Toyota FT-86 Concept would debut at the Geneva Auto Show in production form, it appears as though that isn’t the case. As the very first thing show-goers will see when they enter Hall 4 at Europe’s most prestigious motor show, its obvious the importance that Toyota places on this vehicle – a model that could help rebrand the Japanese automaker while giving it some much-needed positive PR.

Toyota built the FT-86 Concept to re-energize the brand’s image and it seems to have done just that, with young auto enthusiasts the world over itching to get their hands on the production version of this entry-level rear-drive sports car. Company press releases have boasted about the car’s handling capabilities and now it seems Toyota is planning to build the car’s reputation in the best possible way, through motorsports.

Volkswagen is hell-bent on cracking the U.S. market and has decided to follow a production plan that will see it essentially follow in Toyota’s footsteps – for better or worse. Now that plan seems to include a possible entry-level sports car designed to compete against cars like the upcoming Toyota FT-86.

The rumors about the Toyota FT-86 Concept’s production name are as numerous as the theories, with reports pointing in all sorts of different directions. According to the folks at the U.K.’s AutoCar, the car is likely to be called the Celica. The name is apparently being considered because it has a long history and resonates with consumers. However, most younger buyers (at which the car is aimed) are more likely to remember the Celica as the front-drive model that never quite lived up to the Acura Integra/RSX competition. And if Toyota truly wants this car to represent a new direction for the company, it would be best to go with something original.

The official reveal of Toyota’s FT-86 Concept is just a few days away but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a better look at the company’s latest sports car right now. The folks at FT86Club have dug up a large selection of studio shots that show the concept in much greater detail.