2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition First Look: Awkward Name for Refined Model

Toyota is convinced the Toyota 86 sports car has two distinct target groups: young males who want a base sports car they can easily customize and empty nesters who wax nostalgic for their first sports car and want one that comes with a few more amenities from the factory.

To that end, the automaker has added the 860 Special Edition, which goes on sale in about two weeks in the U.S. The production run lasts one month, long enough to make 860 Supernova Orange models with black body stripes and 860 Halo White models. There are no current plans to add a 2018 model year.

The Toyota 86 was introduced in the 2017 model year with some tweaks to go with its new name—it was the Scion FR-S until Toyota dropped the youth-oriented brand and moved the lineup under the Toyota umbrella.

The 860 gets the thin rear spoiler from the Euro-spec Toyota 86 plus a number of improvements to its aerodynamics, including an underbody panel.

In the looks department, it has a new front and rear fascia, 17-inch black chrome alloy wheels, LED foglights, and restyled fender vents.

On the amenity end, this higher-end special edition adds heated front seats in black leather with orange stitching, heated side mirrors, and a smaller but thicker steering wheel in black with orange stitching. That theme continues to the leather around the shifter and hand brake. There is push-button start and dual-zone climate control.

For the enthusiast, each special edition will come with a 4.2-inch multi-information display to show a g-force meter and stopwatch, horsepower and torque curves, engine coolant and oil temperatures, and mpg.

The 860 with a manual increases engine output by 5 horsepower to 205 hp, and torque is 156 lb-ft at 6,400 rpm. The body is stiffer with retuned suspensions, a new rear anti-roll bar, and softer springs.

The 860 Special Edition starts at $30,040 for a six-speed manual or $30,760 for a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and rev-management technology. About 60 percent of sales are expected to be with the manual.

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