Which is More Fun on the Track: Toyota GT86 or Ferrari F12Berlinetta?

This should be a no-brainer; which is more fun to drive, the 730hp V12-powered Ferrari F12Berlinetta or the 197hp 4-cylinder Toyota GT86? Although both are front engined, rear-wheel drive sports cars, they couldn’t be more different. One is a very expensive, extreme Italian exotic and the other is an affordable, highly controllable sports coupe.

While in terms of performance the Toyota doesn’t stand a chance in front of the Ferrari, when the fun factor is taken into account, the GT86 can bring a big smile on the driver’s face. It’s a tail-happy machine thanks to its skinny tires, which make it very enjoyable on the track.

But can it compare with the Ferrari? Autocar magazine tested both cars on the Snetterton circuit to find out.

For one thing, the F12Berlinetta is definitely more challenging to drive than the GT86. The Toyota is playful all the time, while the Ferrari is frisky, just as long as the driver remembers the immense power produced by the 6.3-liter V12 and respects it. It’s the sort of car that keeps drivers on their toes all the time and does not like giving second chances.

For the full review, watch the video below.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Dubai Motor Show Teases Toyota GT-86 Sedan with Amateur Photoshop, Which Then Vanishes…

All it takes is an amateur photoshop (we wouldn't be surprised if the above rendering was actually made with MS Paint…) and a Facebook posting for some to come out with grabby titles containing the words "official" and "confirmed".

Case in point, the Facebook page for the Dubai International Motor Show that posted the photo you see along with the claim that the Toyota GT86 Sports Sedan will have its "regional unveil" at the event held from November 5 to 9.

Needless to say, there's some BS going on here beginning with the photo that's a badly done digital render of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show Toyota FT-86 Concept and continues with the "regional unveil", which would mean that the car has already made its world premiere somewhere else…

Funny thing is that, the post disappeared altogether today from the event's FB page.

Like we said in another posting about the same issue regarding a purportedly insider report on the Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ sedan, while the Japanese automaker might be considering such a model down the line, one should always question these reports and separate those that are made for grabbing headlines and clicks by using fictional information (purposely or not), from those that are based on cold, hard facts.

By John Halas

Story References: Autoblog.com , Autoguide , Worldcarfans

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Nissan’s VP Says GT86/FR-S/BRZ Are "Midlife Crisis" Cars, Confirms New Coupe for Tokyo Show

Nissan is preparing a rival for the Toyota GT86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ trio of rear-wheel drive sports cars which could be revealed as early as next month at the Tokyo Motor Show (November 22 – December 1), according to Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer who spoke to MotorTrend magazine.

Nissan’s answer to the Toyota-baru triplets is code-named Z35 and is rumored to be powered by the same engine in the 370Z, a 3.7-liter V6, albeit in a lower state of tune (the unit produces 330hp in the 370Z). The Z35 is also said to be available with an all-new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection and turbocharging that is expected to be more powerful than the V6.

Nissan currently offers a 2.5-liter engine in the Pathfinder Hybrid, where it develops 250 hp together with a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor. The automaker could use the same engine on the Z35 but in a more potent version. Later on, Nissan’s performance division Nismo may develop range-topping model.

Although Andy Palmer didn’t talk too much about the Z35, he had a lot to say about the GT86/FR-S/BRZ, labeling it as a car “designed for a 50-year-old”.

“Do we have any competitors?” Palmer replied when the publication asked him about a small sports car. “Are you talking about the Subaru? It was a car designed for a 50-year-old. It’s for a midlife crisis. That’s not what we do,” Palmer said.

“Are you coming to the Tokyo Motor Show? You’ll see the answer to the midlife crisis. Except it won’t be for the midlife crisis,” the exec said, adding that the Z35 will be aimed at male car enthusiasts in their mid-to-late twenties.

By Dan Mihalascu

Pictured below is the Nissan Esflow Coupe Concept from 2011

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Is Report on Four-Door Toyota GT-86 and Scion FR-S Bull Caca?

Did you read the latest report about Toyota allegedly giving the green light to a four-door version of the Toyota GT-86 and consequently, the Scion FR-S? Well if you didn’t, you can read all about it from the source, which is a one Peter Lyons from Australia's CarSales, as well as on a number of other sites that repeated the story such as Autoblog, Jalopnik, Motorauthority and Worldcarfans, just to mention a few.

These stories make for wonderful, eye-catching and viewer-engaging headlines, but one has to be cautious, and by that, I mean there are times when who's talking is as important as what they're saying. It all so happens that I made fun of an eerily similar story about a four-door coupe GT-86 back in 2010 (read our humorous post here - again I repeat, humorous, don't take it seriously…like some did at the time), which according to the author, should have been in showrooms…today.

Can you guess who wrote the aforementioned story of a Toyota GT-86 sedan coming into the market in 2013 based on insider information? Yes, that's right...

I'm not saying that Toyota has never considered expanding the range of its sports model that was co-developed with Subaru (it did present a convertible concept) or that it won't go down that road in the future, but when these purportedly "anonymous inside sources" fail to deliver, readers should treat / approach these stories with a few grains of salt and certainly some common sense.

By John Halas

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