Topless Toyota FT-86 Shown With it Roof Up Via Patent Papers

The Toyota GT-86 is quite successful in its styling, and while some may criticize bits of it at a time, the consensus seems to be that it looks good. This poses a challenge for the engineers behind the car, when turning the coupe into the FT-86, which is the soft-top convertible version.

Keep in mind that aside from the roof having to be strong, durable, not leak and not take up much space in the trunk, it must also not upset the car’s lines when it’s deployed.

Thankfully, we need wonder no more, because we now have some European patent papers to look over, which do show the car with the roof up. The images, brought to us courtesy of Car&Driver, show off a very sleek profile for the FT-86, and we’re happy to report that the design has not been compromised in any way.

In fact, if the car is as rigid as they say it is, and the loss of the roof doesn’t affect the pin-point accurate handling, through the loss of stiffness, then for me personally, the drop top would be the one to go for. If one of these were mine, I’d also fit it with a new exhaust system, as the stock one just makes the engine sound far too muted and distant – the flat-four does have sound potential, which can be exploited through the use of aftermarket components (intake and exhaust).

So, which one do you prefer, now that you see what the drop-top looks like in full?

By Andrei Nedelea

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