By now, you’ve likely absorbed every last ounce of ink, both physical and virtual, spilled on the Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S and Toyota GT 86 triplets. You’ve watched the videos, poured over the press releases and configured your own. And while your waking moments may be filled with imaging what it would be like to cane the 2.0-liter terror across Europe, odds are you haven’t actually done the deed. Nino Karotta has, and he’s been kind enough to document the excursion for the rest of us. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: Toyota retools development process with goal of creating more exciting cars
These days, most Toyota models are about as likely to get your pulse up as the latest hardware from Frigidaire. But it wasn’t always so. There was a time when Toyota counted itself among the world’s sports car manufacturers with vehicles like the Supra, Celica All Trac and MR-2. Those two-doors helped forge generations of enthusiasts before the company shuttered its go-fast ambitions, a door that is only now starting to open again thanks to the new GT 86/Scion FR-S codeveloped with Subaru. Now, according to Automotive News, the company has unveiled a new development and manufacturing framework designed to aid in producing more exciting vehicles. According to CEO Akio Toyoda, the revamped system will allow the company to design multiple models at the same time to reduce costs. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: Toyota lead developer confirms droptop FT-86
Around the Autoblog virtual office, the Toyota GT-86 is among the most eagerly awaited new models this year. So when we spotted a report in AutoBild that Tetsuya Tada, the chief engineer of the car, has confirmed that a convertible is coming, we got excited. Funk Flex
Auto Talk: Toyota GT 86 makes a compelling case for itself
Certainly for the moment, this is the biggest competition the Subaru BRZ has: its twin, the Toyota GT 86. The volcanic orange coupe was unveiled in another corner of the Tokyo Motor Show, and frankly, it’s got a lot to recommend it. The frontal treatment is slightly different than on the BRZ, but the only digression out back is the lack of a spoiler, and the GT 86 looks pretty good without it. Funk Flex
(Video) Auto Talk: Toyota GT 86 sports car revealed
It’s no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week at the Tokyo Motor Show, and ahead of that, the automaker’s UK office has released the first official photos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86. In Japan, however, the car will simply be called 86. Funk Flex
