Toyota 86 Sports Car Morphs Into ‘Shooting Brake’

Toyota Australia unveils a global first: a dramatic “Shooting Brake” concept version of the 86 sports car.

The prototype, conceived and developed by Toyota Australia’s product-design team, was hand-built in Japan under the direction of the global sports-car division.

Design chief Nicolas Hogios says his team engaged in enthusiastic debate about the extent to which they should make changes to the 86 coupe, eventually remodeling only the rear quarter and roof.

“Many of us drive the 86, including myself, and we wanted to explore ways to expand its appeal while retaining the purity of the coupe,” he says in a statement.

“The silhouette is still sporty, taut and energetic, but it’s more practical as it allows the roof to be used to carry surfboards, bikes or storage pods for a weekend away while the larger opening of the new boot enables much easier loading,” he says.

“As a result, we have expanded the appeal of the coupe while intentionally retaining the purity of the now-iconic 86 style.”

Development began with a series of thumbnail sketches and some “photo-chopping” created by the team on their own time.

“Very quickly, we realized the car’s silhouette lends itself very well to a Shooting Brake theme,” Hogios says.

“In a normal design process, it could take years from when a design is approved to when you can get behind the wheel. Not so here. In a matter of months, we were able to assess the visibility and usability of a real car and see it being driven on a test track.”

Toyota 86 Global Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, debuting the concept in Sydney, says it adds a more practical hatch styling to the rear of the sporty coupe.

Brad Cramb, national marketing divisional manager-Toyota Australia, says the unusual ‘Shooting Brake’ name refers to a unique design that gives the 4-seat sports car more rear headroom and cargo space.

The design has been described as evolving into a 2-door station wagon.

“The Toyota 86 lends itself perfectly to a concept that expands its appeal with added versatility while retaining its sleek and sporty coupe styling and sharp, responsive driving character,” Cramb says in a statement.

“It's a car you could buy with your head and your heart.”

Tada says he supported the project as soon as he saw a one-quarter-scale clay model during a November 2014 visit to Australia.

“I was totally surprised – and I liked it so much I arranged for my expert takumi (artisan) prototype craftsmen to hand-build the ‘Shooting Brake’ concept based on the Australian design,” he says.

The concept car is a fully functional, drivable vehicle that has been put through its paces on Toyota test tracks. But Tada says the automaker wants to gauge reaction to the concept, as it was conceived as an internal design study and there are no plans for production.

“While we never say never, and I would love this concept to become a production reality, it is very much a concept that demonstrates the passion within Toyota for cars that are fun to drive,” he says.