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Toyota FT-1 wants to be ‘the ultimate sports car’

Toyota reveals crazy FT-1 concept at Detroit motor show. Is this the new Supra?

Think you could design the ultimate sports car? We thought not. Luckily for you Toyota’s Calty Design Research studio was given the ambitious task, the aesthetic fruits of which have been revealed at the Detroit motor show.

The FT-1 concept is meant to homage to previous Toyota sports cars, which range back to the 2000GT of the 1960s, yet keep things ‘strikingly modern’. By no means an easy task, then, but the result certainly commands your attention.

The front end has a whiff of the Enzo Ferrari about, with headlights so sharp they could cut you. Sizable air intakes continue the aggressive, purposeful stance on the side of the concept, while a retractable spoiler spices up the back end and keeps the multi-spoke wheels glued to the floor.

The wraparound windscreen and side glass arrangement ‘are a clear nod… to the original 2000GT’, Toyota explained.

Inside the aerodynamic-looking machine is a Formula 1-style steering wheel and a head-up display that projects useful information onto the windscreen so the driver can keep his eyes on the road ahead. Pushed back A-pillars make it easier to see when cornering.

“[The FT-1] really expresses the direction that we’re moving in and the company that we’re evolving into, which is one that develops more exciting vehicles with heart, more emotion, more driver-engaged products that speak to the excitement of driving,” Calty president Kevin Hunter said in an interview with Forbes.

Toyota is keeping tight-lipped when it comes to performance. We’re guessing a car that wants to be the king of sports cars is going to need something a whole lot more potent than, for example, the 197bhp naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre found in the rear-wheel drive GT86.

“Even though we’re not saying exactly what engine is in the FT-1, we thought at least it should feel like it has a long hood and it has a powerful engine under the hood,” Hunter added.

Calty Design Research primarily focusses on styling. Previous Toyotas it has contributed to include the Toyota Rav 4, Lexus LF-C concept and the Toyota F3R concept.

Like what you see? Let us know.

Toyota FT-1 concept pictures

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