TOYOTA Australia will unveil the new GR86 for the first time in public at The Great Race Festival at Bathurst in December, ahead of its introduction to the Australian market in the second half of 2022.
The pre-production car will be on display during the racing festival from 3-5 December, giving racing fans and festival attendees the opportunity to see the new rear drive sports car for the first time, in the metal.
“Bathurst is the spiritual home of Australian motorsport and as the third model in our growing GR brand performance car line-up, the GR86 is right at home on the racetrack,” Toyota Australia VP of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley said.
“Far more than simply an evolution of the 86, the new GR86 takes the lessons from our motorsport activities and uses them to deliver a thrilling and exciting drive experience – whether that’s competing on the track or enjoying a weekend away,” he added.
“With the GAZOO Racing DNA built in, the GR86 is a car for drivers who enjoy the journey as much as the destination.”
That DNA can be seen in the lightweight body, featuring an aluminium bonnet, roof and front fenders, giving the GR86 a very low centre of gravity and highly rigid chassis.
The low-slung two-door coupe styling of the GR86 delivers far more than good looks with functional aerodynamic components including the front air outlets, side skirts and rear ducktail spoiler designed to enhance its dynamic driving characteristics.
At the heart of the car is a new 2.4-litre horizontally-opposed boxer four cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels via a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.
With a significant boost in power and torque compared with the previous Toyota 86, with maximum outputs of 173kW and 250Nm, the new GR86 can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in just 6.3 seconds.
The front MacPherson strut and rear double wishbone suspension has been tuned for performance and together with the very low centre of gravity, superb balance and lightweight stiff chassis, making the new GR86 an outstanding driver’s car.
Further details will be released closer to the launch.
