Toyota GT86 cabrio As both the fleets of Garlick and Dan demonstrate, we're rather partial to a bit of open-top motoring at PH. And most of us are quite keen on the Toyota GT86 also. Bring the two together and you have the makings of a great convertible , right?
Toyota evidently doesn't agree, as it has indefinitely postponed the GT86 cabrio project. You'll remember it was previewed at the Geneva show as the FT-86 Open; despite that lurid interior colour scheme, it certainly appeared a feasible production project. Although the Subaru-Toyota collaboration promised future models, the Geneva concept was never confirmed as anything more than a show attraction.
Now Toyota sources have confirmed it's not in the product plan for next year or 2015. "But I saw spy shots of it!" you may cry, as we did. Indeed, much of the engineering work was already complete, so the project could theoretically be restarted fairly quickly. We'll see.
No official justification for cancelling the GT86 cabrio project has been given as yet. Excessive weight has been mooted as a possible concern, the added strengthening required for a rigid convertible perhaps compromising the GT86 too far. It seems strange that Toyota would get as far as testing development prototypes before realising that a convertible would add a fair bit of weight though. Is it maybe a pricing issue, following the criticism of the standard car £25K price tag?
Unfortunately we can only offer conjecture until anything official is confirmed. But with the convertible apparently dropped, can we have a flagship coupe now?
Source: Pistonheads