DETROIT, Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota virtually
blew the doors off the North American International Auto Show with
the reveal of the stunning FT-1 sports car concept. First
devised by Calty Design Research in the Sony PlayStation Gran
Turismo game environment, FT-1 leapt from the screen to the stage
in a race-inspired press conference at COBO Hall.
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The name says it all. FT-1 stands for "Future Toyota," and the
number "1" represents the ultimate. According to its designers at
Calty Design Research, the FT-1 Concept is the ultimate expression
of a Toyota coupe design, building upon Toyota's rich sports coupe
heritage dating back to the 2000GT, Celica, Supra, MR2 and most
recently Scion FR-S. In addition, the concept draws inspiration
from Calty's more recent sports car concept work such as FT-HS
(2007) and the Lexus LF-LC (2012).
The project started nearly two years ago and represents a labor
of love by a passionate, dedicated and gifted Calty design team.
"The FT-1 is a dream-project for a designer and car enthusiast like
myself," said Alex Shen, Calty's
Studio Chief Designer. "Our team was heavily influenced by Toyota's
sports car past, especially Celica and Supra, and we sought to
capture some of that history. It is an aggressive,
track-focused sports car concept with a presence that has been
amplified for shock and awe."
The FT-1's audacious design represents the pinnacle of Calty's
40th year of operation. Guided by the Toyota design
ethos of Vibrant Clarity, a unique fusion of both emotional and
rational factors that delivers a more exciting and dramatic design
expression with unique Toyota identity, the concept is a spiritual
pace car for Toyota Global Design. The goal of this ideological
shift is to develop future generations of products that better
connect emotionally with Toyota's global consumer base.
Traditionally, Toyota's design decisions have been driven by
consensus among a large group of stakeholders. Under Akio
Toyoda's stated directive to invigorate Toyota products with
energy, passion and "Waku-Doki" (translation: a palpable
heart-pounding sense of excitement), the approval process has been
streamlined. This new approach aims to produce cars that
connect more deeply with customers, generating a more satisfying
ownership experience that complements Toyota's legendary reputation
for quality, dependability and reliability.
"Function-sculpting" design language yields curved, muscular,
expressive body forms seemingly shaped by the wind. Inlets,
ducting, and vents are features of the exterior design that help
reinforce its track–ready nature with elements of purposeful
airflow management. At higher speeds a retractable rear wing
deploys and tilts forward to create additional downforce. The
body's athleticism is expressed with taut surfaces and dramatic
fender forms that seduce the eyes when covered in an
unapologetically red hue.
The front engine rear-wheel drive configuration locates the
cockpit far rearward within the wheelbase to improve weight
distribution. This design element also helps create the
classic sportscar proportions one would expect from a vehicle
poised to dominate even the most challenging road course. The
cockpit's wraparound windshield and side glass openings are a
distinct nod to the design of the legendary Toyota 2000GT.
The interior is a focused, highly functional "place of business"
that locates the driver at the controls behind an F1 inspired
steering-wheel. The intimate, low slung cockpit has its
A-pillars set far back to help optimize cornering vision and
sensation of the cabin's intimacy. A delta-shaped display
zone surrounds and integrates the driver to provide an exhilarating
sense of being connected to the vehicle. The cockpit's sense
of minimalism adds to the purposefulness of the driver-focused
environment with an emphasis on light weight components such as the
composite seat covered with just the right amount of padding in
only the areas that come into contact with the driver. A color
heads-up display keeps the driver's attention on the road ahead,
with vital information projected just above the steering wheel
within the driver's line of sight.
While technical specifications do not accompany the concept, one
can assume that the FT-1 represents an ideally balanced
front-engine, rear wheel-drive layout that is powered by a
high-technology, high performance internal combustion engine.
Beneath a transparent glass hood, an ambiguous engine cover hides a
powerplant left to the imagination of the onlooker.
In preparation for pitching the concept to Toyota management,
Calty worked with Polyphony Digital, creators of the popular Gran
Turismo driving simulator, to bring FT-1 to life in a virtual world
that captured the excitement, passion and performance conveyed by
the concept model. Toyota executives were offered the
opportunity to take FT-1 for a timed lap around a
computer-generated Fuji Speedway. Behind the wheel of the
concept, Toyota president Akio
Toyoda, an accomplished race car driver, completed the
virtual circuit faster than his best real-world lap time at Fuji in
his LFA. From that moment, he was convinced and the concept
was approved to be built in model-form for the international auto
show circuit.
For Toyota, this concept embodies the possibilities of the new
and exciting design mission ahead. "Sports cars represent the
ultimate driving expression in its purest form. As car enthusiasts
ourselves, this is the kind of project we dream about working on,"
said Calty Design Research president Kevin
Hunter. "Beyond its obvious five-alarm visual impact,
FT-1 is symbolic of a new chapter for Toyota Global Design. This
provocative concept truly captures the passion, excitement, and
energy of the Toyota we are evolving into and embodies elements of
the emotion and performance that Toyota will imprint upon future
production designs."
About Toyota
Toyota, the world's top automaker and
creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way
people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over
the past 50 years, we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we operate
14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ nearly
40,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships sold more than 2.3 million cars and trucks in
2012 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the
past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the
environment. As part of this commitment, we share the
company's extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and
trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand
their ability to do good. (NYSE:TM)
For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Web site: http://www.toyotanewsroom.com
Public Web site: http://www.toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales