Toyota FT-1 sports car concept – your information hub

Toyota FT-1 concept rear

The Toyota FT-1 concept is Toyota’s Calty design studio’s vision of the ultimate sports car, and it is already being hailed as the symbol of Toyota’s design future. Indeed, the alpha designation ‘FT’ stands for Future Toyota.

The California-based team produced a car that embodies striking modern design. It also makes subtle visual references to Toyota’s sports car history, going back to the legendary 2000GT of 1967.

Toyota FT-1 rear static

The racecar-like exterior expresses powerful performance through its pronounced front wings and sharply contrasting lines as well as the large air intakes and exhaust ports, while the retractable rear wing points to its aerodynamic qualities.

Toyota FT-1 side

The FT-1’s front engine/rear-wheel drive configuration allows the cockpit to be set towards the rear of the car, creating classic sports car proportions while optimising weight distribution. The wraparound windscreen and side glass treatment are a clear nod to the design of the original Toyota 2000GT.

Inside, the ergonomics and cabin layout capitalise on the car’s low centre of gravity, maximising enjoyment for the driver. A delta-shaped display zone reinforces the feeling that the driver is at the heart of the action, fully connected to the car. This quality is enhanced by the Formula 1-style steering wheel and a colour head-up display that projects key information onto the windscreen, just above the wheel. The design pushes the A-pillars as far back as possible, to increase visibility when cornering.

Traditionally, Toyota’s design decisions have been driven by consensus among a large group of people. Yet for the FT-1 this process was streamlined as part of a company-wide movement to give Toyota products more energy and passion. This approach has been fundamental to the development of the FT-1, a concept that captures Toyota’s aim of creating cars that connect more deeply with customers on an emotional level and generate a more satisfying ownership experience.

Graphite Toyota FT-1

CAN I DRIVE THE TOYOTA FT-1?
Yes, but only in the virtual world. The Toyota FT-1 concept car is a playable car in  Gran Turismo game.

Toyota FT-1 concept in Gran Turismo 6

WHAT HAS THE MEDIA SAID ABOUT THE TOYOTA FT-1?
The Toyota FT-1’s status as a show-stealer at the Detroit motor show in 2014 was confirmed by comments from the UK’s media.
Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express, put the FT-1 at the top of his list of best show cars in Detroit, describing it as the ‘undoubted star of the show’.

Jim Holder, editor of Autocar commented that it ‘embodies a sea change at Toyota’.

What Car? editor John McIlroy described the FT-1 as ‘a fabulous achievement.’

Richard Hammond in the Daily Mirror said the FT-1 is about ‘Toyota making cars that people will fall in love with’, while Top Gear colleague Paul Horrell described the concept car as a ‘serious, high-end sports car; beautiful, too.’

It wasn’t just the motoring press that reacted positively to the FT-1. Electrical product review site Pocket-Lint said the FT-1 was ‘definitely something to get excited about’, and technology site T3 hopes Toyota turns the concept ‘into a real car’.

52 comments

  1. I brought one of the first Supras in the US back in 1993, If you build this Toyota, I will be one of the first in line again. Please use turbos and tone the nose down just a little. Price wise, $60k-$70k USD will be prefect. Light weight is also a must. Seeing that the Lexus RC350 weights 3500lbs; the new Supra will have to lose some of that weight. More carbon fiber and less luxury technology 😉

    I would be happy with just A/C & heater, CD player/Radio, power and leather seats. Please try to keep the weight down as much as possible. I would be very disappointed if it weights 3,900 lbs + like the Lexus RC-F.

    1. Thanks Jonh
      A similar premise behind the GT86, light weight, low centre of gravity and rear wheel drive. Simple.

  2. Luv the concept design. As a mkiv owner I’d like to a manual transmission option with forced induction ( no lag – highly modifiable ) ft-1 / mkv supra make it to production. It has to be beat the c7 stingray performance.

  3. If the ft1 is going to be named supra then it has to perform against the gtr and the nsx. After reviewing the gtr since that is the only car in production so far it definitely has to be forced induction but manual and not tiptronic!! Owning a mkiv supra for 8 years I’m very interested in purchasing the new car but for as long as they keep the supra heritage and performance!!!!
    Keep up the good work Toyota!!!

  4. So how can one say enough about being excited for the MKV Supra. I for one have been a NA 5-speed Supra former owner. I sold it for $3000 more than when I initially purchased (2006) and I still think about getting another one. Im that guy who would want the base version, not trying to try to compete with the GTR or new NSX which are both over 100k, why can’t this particular car go against the new Z or Mustang? This is what us regular Supra aficionados want! Sell this base sports car for around 40k-45k…thats more than a 370z. Their engine has 330 horsepower. Give it a tuned Lexus engine similar to the 2hz. There is absolutely nothing that compares to the Supra styling and heritage. Anyway, selfishly this has always been my dream car and would love to see it fulfill the niche out there. Basically, the GT and more refined version of the FRS.

  5. The car looks absolutely incredible!! Ever since I saw the first pictures of the car, I immediately fell in love and am now searching on a regular basis for updates if any as far as when they’re gonna put this thing on the production line. I love the sharp edges and the form-following-function approach that was given to the design! My compliments to Calty on a job well done on this car! The final version needs to stay as close to the concept’s look as possible and be put into production ASAP. Rear-wheel drive for sure, and offer two engines and transmissions: for the engine offer both a twin-turbo V6 and a naturally-aspirated V8. Perhaps Toyota can utilize the same engine blocks that are used in the Lexus IS (V6 and V8 from IS F) and build on that platform. And for the transmission offer both a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed, dual-clutch paddle shift gearbox. Maybe Toyota can even offer launch control for this car too? I mean the Mark IV Supra is still very famous to this day for going really fast down a straight line, why not offer something that will sort of pay homage to that? And lastly, when Toyota enters the development stage for this car, they NEED to set the bar high, build this thing to be competitive with the GT-R and the upcoming NSX, among other cars that would fit in that category. Putting this thing up against the GT-R especially will be incredible as it will pay homage to the Mark IV who to this day has been sort of a rival to the Skyline, and are both arguably the best cars Japan had to offer at the time, along with the FD RX-7. Just by the looks of the car, with the F-1 inspired nose, side scoops and fastback layout it has to have killer aerodynamics, and it would be such a shame if they watered down the design or developed the car to only compete with the Nissan Z, or even the new Corvette. No, I believe the car has much more potential than that. This car has to be built to be a supercar-killer. Toyota has the opportunity right now to take its place again among Japan’s sports car elite, and move from being the company of bland and boring and conservative designs, and with the FT-1 being the talk of the town, they need to step up and do it fast.

    1. Hi Alfredo
      What a great post.
      Thank you for your thoughts and feedback regarding the FT-1. We do still have to confirm that this car is a concept but we have really appreciated the posts we have received regarding the car, its design, and suggested powertrains and transmissions. It certainly helps build a picture of the sort of specification enthusiastic owners would like to see. A key focus for us at the moment is building cars people would love to drive so thanks again for your post.

      1. Yes, unfortunately it’s just a concept.. for now at least! I remain hopeful that Akio Toyoda will eventually give the green light to develop this car for production. Another few things I wanted to add to my expectations is a 50-50 weight distribution, low center of gravity like the GT86, and I would prefer that they don’t include a hybrid powertrain, although with the success of the Porsche 918, I’m open to the idea of a hybrid-assist system. One thing I hope Toyota DOESN’T do is allow this car to be worked on by BMW and going as far as installing one of their Inline-6 engines. The Supra name has been all-Toyota ever since it first premiered, and it would only make sense to keep it that way.. from what I’ve heard, Toyota wants to come out with two new cars in the near future, one being similar to this and another being a roadster like the BMW Z4.. I think this car that will eventually become the Supra (hopefully) should only stay in Toyota’s hands, if anything they can team up with Yamaha to design a sweet set of engines, like when they designed the 4A-GE for the legendary AE86 chassis, or even more currently the 2ZZ that was in the Celica and the 1LR engine off the LF-A.. Yamaha is the only company in my eyes that would ever be qualified to work with Toyota on this car.. Toyota should only team up with BMW in the design of a new roadster, which I think they were planning on doing anyways.. I can’t remember sources right now, but I remember reading somewhere that Toyota wants to build a roadster based on the Z4 chassis from BMW.. with a 2.0L 4-cylinder and a hybrid powertrain.. that would be a tremendous thing for Toyota, and by all means I think they should go for it, but for this car in particular I think BMW should stay on the sideline

      2. Hi Alfredo
        Thanks for your reply and further information.
        We would say not to not rule out hybrid technology completely on a sports car though, we have been using hybrid racing technology for a couple of years now in our Le Mans LMP1 car. Hybrid can be adapted for high performance or low emissions and economy. We unveil the new model (TS040) for this season on 27 March. With regard to BMW, we are undertaking a feasibility study with them to define a joint platform concept for a mid size sports vehicle. No news at the moment but do stay tuned to our Blog for the latest.
        Best wishes

  6. Its not just a concept guys. They are coming with the model in 2017. If you think I’m lying, ask any worker in a Toyota dealer. I’ve been keeping my eyes for anything that had to do with the FT-1. The price they are thinking is around $60k but I’m not too sure. They also say they are coming with a v6 and a v8 options but you got to ask them to see if its true. It is also coming out in Lexus but I don’t remember what the model is called in Lexus, I guarantee it loos even better since it has that luxury look into it.

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