The one area where the Toyota GT86 needed desperate attention was the engine. The naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 4-cylinder boxer powerplant should have been turbo-charged from the very beginning. And they listened, the successor to the GT 86, the GR86, now uses a 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder boxer engine. As such power is increased from 197bhp to 232bhp and 250Nm of torque all of which is sent to the rear tyres. Which isn’t too bad, that’s just about enough power for a car with a kerb weight of 1,307kg which is actually 5kg lighter than its predecessor. But someone at Toyota forgot to add the turbo. At 1,307kg the GR86 isn’t exactly lightweight even by modern sportscar standards.

Nevertheless, Toyota has continued the lighter, faster pure sportscar philosophy with the GR86. Realistically it should be as close to the 1,000kg weight barrier to be considered lightweight in order to nail that power-to-weight ratio. And to be fair Toyota has made a big effort in trying to achieve mission impossible.

The front fenders, roof and hood are made from aluminium to lower the vehicle’s center of gravity. Torsional rigidity is improved by 50%. Combined, this reduces and counters the weight gain from the enlarged engine and additional safety features.

The exterior is dimensionally unchanged and you may be forgiven for thinking the GR86 is a model update as opposed to a new generation replacement. The Toyota GR86 will be available with a six-speed manual as standard. The 6-speed automatic variant is dependent on model trim or personal options. The GR86 will launch in Japan first and is scheduled to go on sale in the UK and Europe, we don’t know when.

This is merely a pre-announcement, details regarding pricing and sales are another press release cycle waiting to happen.