Toyota Fun-Vii Concept

Crazy concept cars are something of a staple of the bi-annual Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place this year at the Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward from November 30 (press day) to December 11.

And while the star of Toyota's booth will be without doubt, the new 86 coupe (formerly known as the FT-86), Japan's top-brand has plenty more in store for us including the Fun Vii concept study.

The experimental model is described by Toyota as a "smartphone on wheels" and all for good reason as the Fun Vii functions a lot like a mobile phone. For instance, , the whole body of the vehicle as well as the interior can be used as a giant display space, with both the body color and display content changeable at will "with the same ease as downloading an application"

The Fun Vii also interacts and is able to link with surrounding vehicles and infrastructure, while Toyota says that a portion of the car's functions can be controlled remotely via a smartphone or any other mobile communication device.

We'll have more on the Fun Vii as well as the rest of the cars Toyota is planning to introduce in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Toyota 86 Video Bonanza: Track and Road Driving, Presentation, and Promo Films

So you want to see more of the new Toyota 86 sports coupe, do you? Well, we have you covered with more than a dozen fresh videos including promotional films, driving footage on the track and the road as well as clips from the media presentation at the Fuji Speedway in Japan.

For some reason Toyota has decided to name the car simply 86 in Japan and GT 86 in Europe, while the same or possibly slightly different variant with the Scion badge will be marketed as the FR-S in North America.

The key facts about the 86 include a front-mounted Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter boxer engine pushing 200-horses towards the rear axle through a short-shift six-speed manual gearbox (or a 6-speed automatic) and an available limited slip differential.

Toyota has not yet released full specifications, but a leaked brochure revealed that the JDM version tips the scales at 1,210kg (2,668 pounds) in basic trim and at 1,230kg (2,711 pounds) in the second trim level.

Needless to say, there's more to come so stay tuned…

Toyota and Yamaha to Jointly Display Concept Bikes

It's a very little-known fact, but one of, if not the most famous Toyota sports cars of all time, the late 1960s 2000 GT, was designed and manufactured in collaboration with Yamaha, which is mostly recognized as a maker of motorcycles, marine engines and pianos.

The two Japanese companies are now combining forces once again with a joint display of two concept models at this week's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show to highlight their new collaboration in the development of communications-linked next-generation vehicles.

The two concepts are the three-wheeler electric commuter "EC-Miu" and the electrically power assisted bicycle "PAS WITH".

As part of their broad partnership, Yamaha Motors and Toyota plan to build a charging infrastructure that can be shared by both two-wheeled vehicles and automobiles, and also establish common systems such as navigation and telematics services that utilize smartphones and Wi-Fi communications.

New Toyota GT 86 Sports Coupe

The wait for the most hotly anticipated (and teased, may we add..) sports cars of the year, the production version of the Toyota FT-86 2+2 coupe, is finally over as the Japanese automaker came out with all the juicy details ahead of the car's world premiere at the at the Tokyo motor show on November 30.

In Europe, the new Toyota will be called the GT 86 in tribute to the Japanese firm's GT car heritage and especially the Corolla GT (or Levin) AE86, which inspired its creation. The Japanese domestic market version will be aptly called 86.

The GT 86 is the result of a joint Toyota and Subaru development programme that will spawn two more models, the global Subaru BRZ that will also make its debut in Tokyo next week in production trim, and the North American market Scion FR-S.

All three cars will share the same platform and mechanical hardware including the Subaru-sourced flat-four, with only minor styling differences between them.

The story of the GT 86 began in October 2009 with the unveiling of the first FT-86 Concept in Tokyo and was followed by the almost production ready FT-86 II concept at the 2011 Geneva motor show this past March.

The exterior styling of the GT 86 is what we would best describe as more "Fast & Furious" than the original FT-86 concept, which had a sleeker, simpler and overall more European feel to it – but that was something to be expected after seeing the second iteration of the FT-86.

The interior design of the sports coupe is generally uncluttered featuring a three-meter instrument cluster arranged around a large tachometer and a large center screen for the audio and navigation systems.

The dashboard gets a carbon-effect trim, while there's all-black roof lining, red stitching on the upholstery, aviation-style rocker switches and lightweight, aluminium pedals.The GT 86 is also fitted with 365mm diameter steering wheel, which is said to be the smallest ever fitted to a production Toyota.

The GT 86 measures 4,240mm long (166.9-in.), 1,285mm (50.6-in.) high and 2,570mm (101.2-in) wide, which Toyota says make it the most compact four-seater sports car available in the market today.

Under the hood, you'll find Subaru’s new, horizontally opposed, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine upgraded with Toyota's D-4S direct injection technology that delivers 200PS (197bhp/ at 7,000rpm and a peak torque of 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) at 6,600rpm.

A standard six-speed manual gearbox with a short-throw lever or an optional six-speed automatic transmission that can be controlled using paddle shifts mounted on the steering wheel, drive the rear wheels via a limited slip differential.

Toyota says that both the powertrain and the driving position have been set "as low and as far back as possible to achieve the best balance" with the GT 86 boasting a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution – though the company has not yet announced the car's weight. The 2+2 sports coupe also has a very low center of gravity, at just 475mm (18.7-inches).

The suspension features MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear, while the standard version of the car rides on 17-inch wheels (18-inch for the JDM model) and is fitted with ventilated disc brakes all around.

Aside from the ABS, the GT 86 is also equipped with switchable vehicle stability control systems, which Toyota claims "have been tuned specifically to deliver dynamic stability at the limit of the car’s performance with minimal electronic intervention to help preserve the purity of the driving experience".

We'll keep digging for more information on the new Toyota GT 86 as well as its Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S siblings and bring it to you as we get it. In the meantime, hop over the break to check out the high-resolution photo gallery.

EUROPEAN TOYOTA GT 86

JDM TOYOTA 86