When the new Toyota GR 86 broke cover earlier this month it sent fans into a tiz thanks in part to its bigger and more potent 173kW 2.4-litre boxer engine.
Although the second-generation compact coupe’s new design is still a hotly debated topic, it was arguably an opportunity missed by Japan’s biggest car-maker to inject some of the visual DNA from the Toyota 86’s grandpappy – the Toyota AE86 from the mid-1980s.
But if Toyota did decide to go all out, it might have looked something like this.
Created by Rain Prisk, this modern-day take on the Toyota AE86 blends 1980s design cues with a handful of contemporary shapes to create a tantalising image of what could have been.
The Toyota AE86’s legendary drifting abilities and presence in the iconic Japanese street racing manga series Initial D have helped elevate the ‘Hachiroku’ (eight-six) to cult status, and the new Toyota 86 at least continues the concept of an engaging and affordable (albeit more expensive) rear-drive sports car.
At the time of writing there were only four Toyota AE86s for sale on carsales, starting at around $30,000 and rising to $45,000.
While the chances of a reborn version of the original Corolla-based AE86 are roughly zero, Toyota’s performance car director, Tetsuya Tada, previously told carsales the Japanese giant would offer ‘three brothers’ in its modern sports car line-up.
The Toyota 86 was the first and the Supra is the second, but the third is yet to be confirmed. There have been various reports that the Celica and MR2 names could be resurrected.
Watch this space.