The world of the internal combustion engine sports cars is unfortunately drawing to a close, despite the best efforts of some manufacturers. Toyota, which only recently got back into building serious sports cars such as the GR Supra has invested tons of time and money making the second-generation Toyota GR86 sports car a success, resolving many of the first gen's issues primarily by throwing a bigger engine at it. But while the new GR86 has only just launched, it might not be around as long as we'd hoped, at least if you live in Europe. According to Toyota's European CEO, Matt Harrison, fans of the GR86 will have to snap them up quickly, as incoming European safety regulations will cut short the life of the new car. Bureaucracy will be the end of us all.
The order books for the incoming Toyota GR86 will open in Europe this Spring, and deliveries of the first batch of cars should start early in the first half of 2022. Toyota executives are already warning fans to get their orders in, as the great EU bureaucracy machine comes for unsuspecting sports cars.
"We're already receiving a growing number of inquiries from potential customers - including those who believe the GR86 could be the last of its kind," said Harrison at Toyota's annual Kenshiki forum. "And at least for Europe, they might be right." The previous-generation 86 enjoyed a near decade-long life in European markets and was one of the best-selling budget sports cars on that continent, which makes the news of the new car's stunted career even more bitter.
"We felt that the vehicle is so good and so needed for Toyota's image in Europe, and we have a small but very passionate group of customers out there who are searching for vehicles like the GR86," Toyota's senior European vice-president, Tom Fux, told Autocar. "In the end, we decided it's important to offer this vehicle, and then we will need to stop the vehicle, because it will not meet the new requirements in the future. But these two years will still provide an opportunity for passionate customers to get the vehicle."
Fux continued to say that the future of Toyota sports cars will be electric: "When vehicles go to zero carbon emission, we don't intend to stop Gazoo Racing. We intend to continue the brand." The 2022 Toyota GR86 is powered by a 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder that produces 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque which it sends to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. We recommend getting one of these jewels while they're still around, but at least they'll continue to live on in the US for a few more years.