Jay Leno meets the Toyota FT-1 Concept

Toyota’s Californian-based design studio Calty celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year in spectacular style – designing and building the FT-1 sports car for the Detroit Motor Show. Now, US talk show legend and world-famous car collector Jay Leno has got behind the wheel in the comfort of his own sprawling garage – and we’ve got the video.

Leno was taken with the rakish shape of the FT-1, that embodies striking modern design, saying: “Boy! This is a fantastic-looking car… it has a beautiful flow to it… this really just pops out at you.”

See also:
Looking into the future with Toyota’s concept cars

There are obvious nods to Toyota sports cars of old in the FT-1; notably the upswept, triangular-shaped rear quarter windows, which appear to be inspired by the revered 2000GT of 1967, which had a starring role in James Bond film ‘You Only Live Twice’ from the same year.

Joining Leno was Calty studio chief engineer, Alex Shen, and interior chief designer, William Chergosky, who explained the model’s developmental origins. Shen explained: “We’ve been proposing a car like this for a few years now… we were looking for an exciting, emotional and dynamic design, and this around time , we got the yes (from Toyota).”

As Leno stepped inside the FT-1, Chergosky highlighted its driver-focused interior design, saying: “This is all about the driver – it’s the ultimate selfish vehicle!”

You can find out more about the FT-1 here. Don’t forget to share your thoughts about the FT-1 with us in the comment section below!

 

2 comments

  1. Please, Please put it into production, keeping the price down, the joy I had with my last MK IV Supra, still stir’s emotions in me, I felt like a king owning it.
    So please don’t make us wait to long, I have been waiting for this very moment.

    Thank You, Thank You. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    1. Thanks for your post Marti, no production news unfortunately but we do acknowledge the very positive response the FT-1 has received.
      Great to hear about your previous Supra ownership. If you still have a pic feel free to post this on our UK Facebook page.

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