Turns out the rumors about a new Toyota sports car were all true, as the Japanese car maker reveals a surprise new concept at the Detroit Motor Show. The Toyota FT-1 concept is what a Supra revival would look like, if they ever decide to make it. And based on what we’re hearing, they are going to.
Mind you, the new Supra may not be called Supra, at least not in Japan, where Toyota has reportedly trademarked the name Mirai for it. It doesn’t matter what the new sports car is called though, as long as it looks like the concept we are seeing here.
The FT-1 is the result of a joint effort between Toyota designer in Japan and their American partners at the Calty design studio. With design features such as large air intakes, massive exhaust ports and retractable rear wing, the FT-1 looks like a racing car for the roads. That is what Toyota was going for with the car, drawing inspiration from F1 cars to make it happen.
It’s not all modern features, though. Toyota FT-1 Concept also borrows some of the design cue of its ancestors, namely the 2000GT, from which it gets the wraparound windscreen and side glass arrangement.
With a low center of gravity, Formula 1-style steering wheel and a colour head-up display that projects key information just above the wheel, the FT-1 concept guarantees sheer driving pleasure for its pilot. Toyota has not revealed any details about the powertrain used in this car, and it doesn’t matter, since the FT-1 is just a design study for now.