Photo: sugardesign_1 / Instagram
The Japanese automaker made sure it had all eyes turned on its exhibit at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2023 (January 13-15) with an expansive roster of worldwide premieres.
There was something for everyone because at the same Makuhari Messe (in Chiba, Japan) venue there was also the concurrent Tokyo Outdoor Show. Alas, passenger car aficionados were mostly focused on TAS since Toyota brought a full complement of sporty heroes, from the little yet feisty GR Yaris to the iconic GR Supra.
The ‘everything in between’ part also included a couple of vintage legends – two versions of the iconic AE86 (a sport compact series of models based on the Toyota Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno as part of the fifth-gen Corolla E80 range). They were representative of both Toyota’s past and future, combining the well-known black-and-white looks with the benefits of zero-emission powertrains. As such, one AE86 was a hydrogen-powered concept, and the other was a BEV prototype.
That three-door liftback style is hard to rekindle these days with modern design, which is probably why the Japanese carmaker does not have an AE86 equivalent in its range, even though it does use part of the nameplate for the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 siblings. Speaking of the latter, that one was also present at TAS as the GR86 GR Parts Concept, but some people might want to take its potential transformation a step further beyond what can be achieved in the real world.
Such would be the case with Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media, who is probably cooking up a new CGI series of white cars with Shooting Brake allure to bode well for his eternal quest of “Touring the world!” Sure, after he is done with all the cool next-gen Alfa Romeo Giulia (sedan, wagon, and Sprint Quadrifoglio coupe) transformations, that is.
Anyway, in between those and a quirky Lynk & Co 03+ Wagon, there is always time to play with a three-door Hot Hatch, and the passion for Honda’s Civic Type R led the pixel master to create a ‘Crosstour’ Coupe! Piggybacking on that planted, widebody yet road-trip adventure-ready idea, the CGI expert is now also giving us a potential rival, the Toyota GR86 ‘Cruiser.’
It has the exact same digital coordinates – a lowered, wider stance, some extra widebody beef, plus a nice, contrasting black roof rack and box setup. Alas, do not confuse them - the Honda Civic Type R ‘Crosstour’ and Toyota GR86 ‘Cruiser’ - with the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato as these are no (mild) off-road sports cars. Instead, they would rather belong in the newly minted ‘chubby bunny’ category!
The ‘everything in between’ part also included a couple of vintage legends – two versions of the iconic AE86 (a sport compact series of models based on the Toyota Corolla Levin and Sprinter Trueno as part of the fifth-gen Corolla E80 range). They were representative of both Toyota’s past and future, combining the well-known black-and-white looks with the benefits of zero-emission powertrains. As such, one AE86 was a hydrogen-powered concept, and the other was a BEV prototype.
That three-door liftback style is hard to rekindle these days with modern design, which is probably why the Japanese carmaker does not have an AE86 equivalent in its range, even though it does use part of the nameplate for the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 siblings. Speaking of the latter, that one was also present at TAS as the GR86 GR Parts Concept, but some people might want to take its potential transformation a step further beyond what can be achieved in the real world.
Such would be the case with Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media, who is probably cooking up a new CGI series of white cars with Shooting Brake allure to bode well for his eternal quest of “Touring the world!” Sure, after he is done with all the cool next-gen Alfa Romeo Giulia (sedan, wagon, and Sprint Quadrifoglio coupe) transformations, that is.
Anyway, in between those and a quirky Lynk & Co 03+ Wagon, there is always time to play with a three-door Hot Hatch, and the passion for Honda’s Civic Type R led the pixel master to create a ‘Crosstour’ Coupe! Piggybacking on that planted, widebody yet road-trip adventure-ready idea, the CGI expert is now also giving us a potential rival, the Toyota GR86 ‘Cruiser.’
It has the exact same digital coordinates – a lowered, wider stance, some extra widebody beef, plus a nice, contrasting black roof rack and box setup. Alas, do not confuse them - the Honda Civic Type R ‘Crosstour’ and Toyota GR86 ‘Cruiser’ - with the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato as these are no (mild) off-road sports cars. Instead, they would rather belong in the newly minted ‘chubby bunny’ category!
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