At an event held in the Emirates Team New Zealand headquarters in Auckland today, Toyota New Zealand announced the details and pricing of the long-awaited stripped-out Toyota 86 RC, as well as details of the new one-make racing series for the TR 86 racing car that is based on the RC.
The 86 RC is, as we said earlier, a stripped-out version of the 86 sports car suitable for customisation or conversion into a track/racing/targa car. It comes with the same 2.0-litre 147kW/205Nm four-cylinder boxer engine and six-speed manual transmission as the standard car and also comes standard with stability and traction control, ABS brakes with brake assist, seven airbags, an engine immobiliser, 16-inch alloy wheels and dual exhausts and is available in white only.
The 86 RC has unpainted front and rear bumpers, door mirrors and handles as well as no air conditioning, no audio system, reduced sound proofing material, no boot lining and the ability to switch the airbags off.
With everything removed, the 86 RC is able to clock in at a startlingly low price; $33,986 drive away.
Available only for purchase online, the 86 RC will – from tomorrow – be available at www.the86.co.nz, where buyers can also add an extensive range of customisations to their 86 RC, or simply purchase one as is.
A deposit of $5,000 is required to reserve their chosen car, while a visit to the Toyota dealership of their choice will be required to finalise the deal and sign the necessary paperwork.
Customisation potential is extensive on the website, with a range of wheels, body kits, bumper paint options, decals and the more extensive TRD performance mods all available. The one thing NOT available at all at this stage, however, is air conditioning. Not a problem for those wanting a race car, not so perfect for those wanting a customised road car. This is something Toyota NZ has a request in for, but don’t expect to see it in any time soon…
New Zealand is currently the only market outside Japan (and a limited number going into Europe) to get the 86 RC and Toyota NZ is targeting 50 units for the year.
At the same time the company also unveiled details of the one-make race series featuring a car based on the 86 RC – the TR 86.
Fully built by Toyota NZ, the TR 86 will cost $78,000 + GST for a full race-spec car. Orders have already been coming in for cars and the first eight are being built now. As a special incentive, Toyota are supplying the first 15 orders with a fully-stocked TRS took box.
The first year of the series will be limited to 20 cars and future builds will be according to demand. The cars will be able to be altered and used in other events (rally, track days, Targa, etc) but will need to be rescrutineered for entry into the one-make series.
The series itself will debut at the new Highlands Motorsport Park at Cromwell on the 9th-11th of November and subsequent rounds will take place at the Summer Series rounds for the 2013/2014 season.
