Toyota FT-1 channels the Supra, out-Vipers the Viper

The big surprise, or maybe really the only surprise, at Detroit this year was the unveiling of the Toyota FT-1 concept this morning at Cobo Center. A compact sports car with evocative – but not retro – detailing, the FT-1 is quite simply fresher and better executed than anything we’ve seen from Toyota in a long time.

With clear Supra references in the DRG and the giant rear wing, the FT-1 is a statement by the Japanese firm that its beige days are numbered, and it immediately puts its sportier Japanese competitors such as Mazda and Nissan on notice. The proportions are classically cab-rearward, and the front-mid mounted engine is on prominent show through a clear glass window in the hood.

Designed at Toyota’s Calty studio in California, the fluid and muscular design language is a clear step forward from the FT-86, and a purposeful “statement of intent” by the company. Although the design has traces of Viper, LFA, and the classic 2000GT in it, it doesn’t fall into the retro-pastiche trap that has plagued so many other brands recently.

Although the front face and DRG have some influences from recent Lexus sports cars such as the LFA and LF-LC, the full, round, taut surfaces of the FT-1 create a very distinct shape from anything coming out of Toyota’s upmarket brand. The body proportions, with very low fenders and an upright cockpit, evoke Le Mans prototypes and are a welcome change from the high-beltline bloat that is currently rampant in car design. From the rear, the car out-Vipers the Viper, with all of the sensual curves of the original and arguably more modernity than the current model. The massive rear wing sitting atop beautifully crafted hydraulic cylinders is intended to make us think of the Supra, but the curved profile and crisp motion also has a McLaren P1 feel to it.

Inside the 2000GT-inspired DLO is a lovingly crafted interior that really steps up Toyota’s game. A combination of layered carbonfibre, leather, and machined aluminium, the cockpit is everything you would want from a true driver’s car. The IP is ultra-simplified with clever floating glass gauges flanking a central speedometer and HUD.

The steering wheel features an F1-style digital readout at the top, showing gear, shift point and driving mode, while secondary controls are split between dial, knobs, and stalks, all within a very tight space surrounding the wheel. The wrapped and layered forms of the seats, door cards, and centre stalk neatly echo the wrapped volumes of the exterior as well, a sure sign of a design team working together and executing a vision.

Overall, it’s nice to see Toyota rediscovering its sporting past, while also clearly looking forward. Not everyone we spoke to thinks the FT-1 is just right, but that may be the biggest statement of all—a Toyota that isn’t designed to appeal to everyone, and isn’t afraid to wear its TRD red heart on its sleeve.