86 Toyota FT-86: First Official Photos of Near-Production RWD Sports Coupe

[NarutoRamen]

GT-R sells in much higher volume, the AWD system has been around before, the V6 is most likely based in part or parts on Nissan's existing VQ V6 engine family. IMO, just some of reasons why the GT-R is much cheaper.

Toyota did a ground up V10, that in itself likely put this project in the red. Now if they're smart the next generation GS will have a GS-F variant and use this V10. Wouldn't that be something.


M

Just to go along with what you said.

ATTESA-ETS system has been around for a while. The new one "Pro" version has been modified and just a bit of re-engineered for the GTR.

The VR38DETT engine is a mashup of the VRH engine from the R390 GT1 race car, JGTC experience and VQ series of engines. So they didn't have to build it from ground up.

Also, there is no limit to how many GT-Rs Nissan will produce. The LF-A on the other hand has a production limit of 500.

 

[martinbo]

Sorry to nitpick, but the GTR's VR38DETT, whilst an amalgam of various Nissan bits, is an all new engine - requiring its own production and assembly lines.

The AWD system in the R35 is vastly removed from any other AWD system on the market - let alone that of the R34 and previous. With the R35, the gearbox is on the rear axle and it does not have the rear axle steering of the R34. The GTR is as much of an "all new" car as the LFA is. A key difference is in the use of lightweight, exotic materials which are far more prevalent in the LFA than in the GTR.

To get any V8 engine over 4 litres to rev to 9000 rpm - you need very special engineering and an exhaustive R&D program.

Take nothing away from Nissan though, how they managed to price the GTR (in the US especially) is something of a miracle for me considering that there was no significant carry-over tech from the R34.

 

[PanterroR]

Some live images and a video:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Mr Robert]

To get any V8 engine over 4 litres to rev to 9000 rpm - you need very special engineering and an exhaustive R&D program.

Take nothing away from Nissan though, how they managed to price the GTR (in the US especially) is something of a miracle for me considering that there was no significant carry-over tech from the R34.

Sorry to nitpick, but what V8 are you talking about?

Furthermore, the GT-R in the US; I think that is a combination of lowest possible price and a conscious decision to use the whole marketing budget in putting the GT-R on the market as cheap as possible.

 

[martinbo]

Sorry to nitpick, but what V8 are you talking about?

Nitpick in order. What I meant to describe was V8 and over, 4 litre and over. Kind of thing.

Happier?

 

[NarutoRamen]

Sorry to nitpick, but the GTR's VR38DETT, whilst an amalgam of various Nissan bits, is an all new engine - requiring its own production and assembly lines.

The AWD system in the R35 is vastly removed from any other AWD system on the market - let alone that of the R34 and previous. With the R35, the gearbox is on the rear axle and it does not have the rear axle steering of the R34. The GTR is as much of an "all new" car as the LFA is. A key difference is in the use of lightweight, exotic materials which are far more prevalent in the LFA than in the GTR.

To get any V8 engine over 4 litres to rev to 9000 rpm - you need very special engineering and an exhaustive R&D program.

Take nothing away from Nissan though, how they managed to price the GTR (in the US especially) is something of a miracle for me considering that there was no significant carry-over tech from the R34.

The VR38DETT isn't as "Brand New" as you think it is. I'll try to find the article where it talked about it but that engine is basically using some internals that Nissan used for their racing program. Thus, the engine is VERY compact even though it's a 3.8 Liter V6 compared to their VQ series 3.7 liter engine; hell, it's even in the name VRH was the racing engine and this begins with VR. So while the VR series of engine is brand new to Nissan, it's not as Brand new when you take a look at Toyota's new V10. That engine has been built from the ground up, which they surely got help from their Formula 1 program and nothing even close to it existed before.

As for the GT-R lacking HICAS (4WS for the rest of you), yes that is due to the new layout of the drive-train, etc. And while the layout is different, the ATESSA-ETS system isn't a Brand new system. It's an improved version specifically engineered for the GT-R due to the layout.

The GT-R is all new, but when compared to the LF-A on part-per-part basis, it's not as new. Once again that is due to the fact that Nissan has a lot of stuff on the GT-R that they "made brand new" from their original pieces, while Toyota has nothing to go on besides their JGTC experience (using old school Supra) and their F1 program.

You are right about the use of "exotic materials" on the LF-A. LF-A is more than half using CF and uses of other exotic materials such as Titanium valves, etc., which points even more in the direction of their Formula 1 program.

As for GT-R's price. It has a lot to do with them spreading the cost of R&D over the years to develop the car and using tech (but expanding on it) than building from scratch. Also, they could've used more CF etc, but that would put the car over the price limit that Nissan Exec's have set for the car.

 

[martinbo]

As for the GT-R lacking HICAS (4WS for the rest of you), yes that is due to the new layout of the drive-train, etc. And while the layout is different, the ATESSA-ETS system isn't a Brand new system. It's an improved version specifically engineered for the GT-R due to the layout.

"Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA)"

"ATTESA" Is the name that Nissan gives its all-wheel drive systems in various cars most notably the GT-R range. It's just an acronym and in no way denotes similarity across the systems. Same goes for quattro. This layout:

...has nothing in common with the more conventional AWD layout of the R34 where the gearbox is mounted directly behind the engine.

Other than all four wheels being driven, there is no possible way of deriving real mechanical similarities between the two systems. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It is an all new system and it came at a considerable cost to Nissan.

"The 2009 Nissan GT-R uses an updated version of the ATTESA-E-TS, and is designed to work with the car's rear transaxle layout. The system is unique in a way that it utilizes two driveshafts under the vehicle's centerline, with a second driveshaft running slightly to the right of the main driveshaft and engine sending power to the front wheels. It is so far, the only rear transaxle-based AWD system for a front engined car in production.

Unlike the previous ATTESA systems which relied heavily on mechanical feedback, the system in the GT-R uses electronic sensors and hydraulically-actuated clutches. It also has a yaw-rate feedback control system, effectively managing slip angle. Front rear torque split can go from 2:98 during a standing start to a maximum of 50:50"

 

[Mr Robert]

Nitpick in order. What I meant to describe was V8 and over, 4 litre and over. Kind of thing.

Happier?

Thanks.

No, no, I understood what you meant, I just thaugt you were referring to some Nissan/Toyota V8 that I had not heard of.

 

[Mr Robert]

So, any news on this front?

 

[NarutoRamen]

So, any news on this front?

Nope...just that other asian competitions are gearing up. Nissan wants another 240sx and Kia want in on this as well.

 

[Mr Robert]

Nope...just that other asian competitions are gearing up. Nissan wants another 240sx and Kia want in on this as well.

This is great news! I hope this evolves into something great, it really could.

This is the future of enthusiast motoring, lets hope as many as possible understands this.

 

[GBOY]

Finally, a Toyota I could buy

 

[Mr Robert]

Finally, a Toyota I could buy

No doubt! There is no reply from Germany and I do not expect there to be a single one.

 

[NarutoRamen]

This is great news! I hope this evolves into something great, it really could.

This is the future of enthusiast motoring, lets hope as many as possible understands this.

Oh yeah. I hope Nissan and Kia aren't just talk, I hope they actually deliver. And yeah, this is especially good for those who don't have the money to buy sports cars in the 30K and above range (in the US).

No doubt! There is no reply from Germany and I do not expect there to be a single one.

Even if there was a reply from Germany, it would be far too expensive. Sure, it might have better materials, but for a car that I will modify the crap out of anyways, I can care less about paying premium for that crap.

 

[Mr Robert]

What type of sportscars do you get for said 30k?

 

[NarutoRamen]

What type of sportscars do you get for said 30k?

Miata, Genesis Coupe, Mustang GT, Camaro SS, 370Z, and RX-8...hell you could also get WRX STI and Evo X, if you spend a bit more than 30K

All of these, and you're still below the base price of a 135, which is almost 36K

 

[Sayyaaf]

On display at the Toyota stand at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon will be the Toyota FT-86 G's Sports, which boasts an even sharper exterior and a world-first "GPS-track day" unit co-developed with the creators of the Gran Turismo franchise and automotive technology giant Denso. So what's so special about the unit, you ask? From what we've learned, you will be able to drive your real FT-86 around a real track -- the Nurburgring, for example -- and then remove the memory card from your car, plug it into your PS3 unit and either "watch" your lap virtually or race against yourself, as your real car appears as the "ghost car" that you battle against.

The GPS unit was tested in a fully race-prepped Lexus IS F at the Nurburgring last October. If you look closely at the FT-86's dashboard in previous press photos, you will see an outline of Fuji Speedway, a lap timer and an altimeter -- which hints at where Toyota is going with this technology.

Word from inside Toyota is that they plan to roll out the technology on "most" future models, with the first of course being the FT-86 in late 2012. Also, as has been previously reported, the Gran Turismo developers are also working on launching a 3D version of GT5 as soon as 3D TVs become available on the market. We've taken a quick demo spin of the 3D version, which looks fantastic in early builds. Of course, that assumes GT5 will ever be finished. Latest intel we have is late summer of this year at the earliest.

-Peter Lyon

 

[Sayyaaf]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[klier]

The car has someLexus LF-A design cues. The front light in particular.

It's looking quite good so for. The specs are very promising.

 

[Mr Robert]

The car has someLexus LF-A design cues. The front light in particular.

It's looking quite good so for. The specs are very promising.

This is, by far, the most promising car comming from Japan.

It has LF-A cues but manages to look good. I love it!