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Toyota FT-86 concept for PlayStation generation

Toyota displays a cool new GPS-track day feature that interfaces with the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5.

Antuan Goodwin Reviews Editor / Cars
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Expertise Reviewing cars and car technology since 2008 focusing on electrification, driver assistance and infotainment Credentials
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Antuan Goodwin
2 min read

FT-86 G Sport
The FT-86 G Sport is a wild looking car, but that's not why we're showcasing it. FT86club.com

We figured that Toyota would be trotting out its FT-86 concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon--after all, it is its home turf. However, the FT-86 G Sport concept that was also displayed features a very cool tech twist, and we're not talking about the wild body work.

The FT-86 G Sport concept is equipped with a feature called "GPS-track day" that is designed to interface with the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5. Here's how it works: You take your FT-86 to a track--say the Nurburgring or Mazda Laguna Seca--and have a good time running hot laps with the GPS enabled. When the day is over and you return home, you'll be able to remove a memory card and upload your data to a PS3 running Gran Turismo 5 to watch your best laps digitally recreated. You can then race against a ghost car of yourself.

The system has been already been tested at the Nurburgring in a race-prepped IS F. Toyota plans to bring the system to the market in a variety of its sporty offerings, the first being the 2012 FT-86.

Aside from the very cool GPS-track day feature, the FT-86 G Sport features bigger wheels, gratuitous use of carbon fiber, a huge rear spoiler, and a more aggressive body kit with a gaping front air dam that's just begging for a front-mount intercooler. Under the hood, the FT still features the same 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and rear wheel-drive configuration as the previous FT-86 concept.

And because video games are the new spy videos, check out the video below of the FT-86 G Sport ripping up some digital asphalt in Gran Turismo 5.

(Sources: MotorTrend, FT86Club)