Toyota knows that its newly-launched GT 86 sports car (known as the Scion FR-S in the United States) will be a hit in tuning and racing circles. Folks from these two crowds are likely to buy one, and almost immediately customize it with aftermarket bumpers, rims, and interior parts, just to name a few.
To cater to these customers, the Japanese automaker has released a special base-model version of the car called the GT 86 RC.
On the outside, the RC is not unlike an entry-level Dacia Logan: it comes standard with plastic bumpers, black 16″ steel rims, black door handles and black mirrors. The cost-cutting gives the car a sinister look that some buyers will likely not want to change.
The base-model treatment is perhaps even more impressive on the inside, where Toyota has removed the air conditioning unit, the stereo and its speakers, and some of the sound-proofing material. The pedals are made of resin, and both the steering wheel and the shift knob are built using hard plastic.
The only available interior color is black, but buyers will be able to choose between seven different exterior colors.
Under the hood the RC keeps the same 2.0-liter flat-four as other GT 86 models, though the plastic manifold cover has been removed. It is only available with a six-speed manual transmission.
The bare-bones GT 86 RC carries a base price of 1,990,000Â¥, or roughly $25,780, which is thousands less than the next model up. At the time of writing Toyota has no plans to sell the RC outside of Japan.
