When the Toyota 86 was unveiled, it was received with open arms as many would like to know the capabilities of the spiritual successor to the legendary Hachiroku. Powered by a 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated Boxer engine, this FR machine is one fun car to drive, but some did expressed their need for more power.
At the recent Toyota’s 72-day driving and training project however, Toyota president Akio Toyoda flew to Australia last Friday to join the employees of Toyota Motor Corporation Australia and drove a special version of the 86.
Codenamed the GR86X, this souped-up Toyota 86 is claimed to be a one-off rally car, produced through a joint-venture between four-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner Tommi Makinen and Toyota’s in-house in-house racing division GAZOO Racing. The GR86X is said to be fitted with all-wheel drive, a turbocharged engine with an anti-lag system. Other than that, the car is still shrouded in mystery.
“Australian roads represent 80-percent of the world’s driving conditions. After driving on so many roads, our team members’ expectations for future test-car courses will never be the same because of all the stark realities that they experienced,” said Toyoda.
