Good news: the Toyota GT86 will have a successor, and it has already been spotted during testing

Without a doubt, the Toyota GT86 has earned a place in our hearts through sheer merit, achieved thanks to its pure, raw essence and its loyalty to principles that have disappeared from the automotive industry. Unfortunately, the Japanese manufacturer has decided to end its production in favour of other projects and to hand the GT86’s role over to sports-oriented models such as the Supra or the GR Yaris. Nevertheless, test mules running at an advanced stage of development show us that the Japanese firm has something in the works to fill the position left by the GT86.

For the moment, Toyota maintains a deafening silence regarding the successor to its acclaimed sports car, but everything points to its development work being close to completion. The camouflaged mules hint at a vehicle with a practically finished look and ready to move into production, revealing each and every one of its secrets.

At first glance, we see a vehicle with dimensions very similar to its predecessor’s, which leads us to think it will be a sports car with a very similar philosophy. Despite the -blasted- camouflage, we can make out a new design language at the front, where a much more prominent air intake now sits alongside newly shaped headlights that help give it a far more modern and current design.

The rear also takes advantage of the renewal this sports car is undergoing to show a different line that leaves behind what we knew until now. New taillights and a new bumper set the stage for the design canons it will adopt from now on Toyota, though we must not overlook a detail that will delight every petrolhead: a genuine, proper twin exhaust outlet.

Mechanically, it is difficult for us to predict with confidence what the Japanese firm is planning, but everything suggests that it will continue to use a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, supported by a hybrid system. In this way, the brand’s engineers ensure better performance and a significant reduction in both fuel consumption and emissions in an effort to turn the GT86’s successor into an eco-friendly sports car .

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Be that as it may, as inveterate car lovers, we are glad the Japanese manufacturer is carrying on with the 86 saga, a saga that carries an important legacy. With this in mind, we can breathe easy knowing that firms such as Toyota look after the well-being of the purists who seek to safeguard any car that keeps the essence of a good sports car intact.