Toyota 86 Shooting Brake Concept revealed

The Toyota 86 has recently been transformed into a 2-door wagon after the company unveiled the 86 Shooting Brake Concept. The concept was penned by Toyota Australia's design team and was hand-built in Japan by the company's global sports car division.

According to Toyota, the addition of a rear-door hatch gives the 86 a more practical styling, along with  better luggage space and headroom.

“The Toyota 86 lends itself perfectly to a concept that expands its appeal with added versatility while retaining its sleek and sporty coupe styling and sharp, responsive driving character,” said Brad Cramb, Toyota Australia national marketing division manager.

Up front, the concept car still sports the sleek fascia, sloped hood and wide air intake. It is at the side and rear where the major changes can be seen. Gone is the coupe profile as it now gets a long roofline that extends towards the rear. Large rear quarter windows are also seen, while the hatch itself has a see-through glass which makes for easier reverse parking.

But even with the major revisions, the signature taillights, integrated diffuser and dual exhaust pipes have been retained. 86 global design chief, Tetsuya Tada, supported the project after being given a 1:25 scale model last November 2014.

“I was totally surprised - and I liked it so much I arranged for my expert takumi prototype craftsmen to hand-build the Shooting Brake concept based on the Australian design,” said Tada.

Tada also said that it is a fully functional and drivable concept that has been tested on Toyota test tracks. Compared to the standard coupe, Tada said it has a more neutral handling in tight corners.

It won't be seeing production as Toyota only deemed it as a design study. The concept did however, allow the designers to have fun in revamping the standard 86, allowing their creative ideas to inject passion in making cars added Tada.