TOYOTA GR86
If some of the hallmarks of a future classic car are that it is adored by enthusiasts so much that it’s hard to get hold of one, and that it retains its value terrifically well, then the GR86 is virtually a confirmed classic straight out of the box.
This is the kind of car that volume car makers don’t manufacture any more, for reasons including that their individual platforms are expensive to develop and sales numbers will, inevitably, be low, on account of most people not wanting 2+2 rear-wheel-drive coupés these days. More fool them.
Both of those things apply to the Toyota GR86 – and to the Subaru BRZ, which, as with the GT86/BRZ generation before them, shares its architecture. But the fact that you can’t buy a BRZ in the UK this time around shows you how few people bought those relative to the Toyota.
Given the demand for the Toyota this time, we’re not sure that was Subaru’s smartest decision. The ’86’s time-limited production run has been sold out since very shortly after the model was announced. As we write, you will find only one used GR86 in the classifieds
– and the seller is asking for £10,000 over its list price.
Part of the problem is that, lacking some of the latest forward-facing active safety systems, this car can only be on sale for so long. Another issue is that rangewide average CO2 limits are getting ever tighter, so there are only so many 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated, manual-gearbox cars with rearwheel drive that Toyota can sneak into its sales mix.
Those mechanicals, though, are central to the GR86’S appeal. When Toyota launched the GT86 just over a decade ago, it chose a formula – a formula we all knew about – that created a terrific affordable sports car.
It’s the same this time. The engine, gearbox and driven wheels are all in the right place, a limited-slip differential enhances it and modestly sized tyres are the perfect foil for the GR86’S 1275kg kerb weight and relatively modest 231bhp output.
It’s far from a new format, but while you could hardly ask for a better set of fundamentals, today it’s harder than ever to make a case for them. But having done just that, Toyota has tweaked and tuned them to near perfection.
The ’86 is a joy to drive. It is composed and just keen enough to satisfy on the road while retaining a sense of practicality you won’t find in all future classics. You can get four people in if you have to; even the rear seat folds for loading big objects. For a truly satisfying sports car, it’s surprisingly usable day to day. And so we have ended up with a car with such enormous appeal that, for us, its future classic status is guaranteed. If, indeed, it hasn’t already started.
The GR86 sold out shortly after it was announced