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Toyota GT86 14R-60 shows how to do lightweight at a steep price

Toyota is finally making good on its Griffon concept from last year with this limited-edition 14R-60 that basically hops through the Toyota Racing Development catalog to imagine the ultimate lightweight GT86 (the continental relative to the Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z). Unfortunately, it's not coming stateside, and even if this modded Toyobaru were coming here, you might not want to pay the rather steep price.
Like the concept, the 2.0-liter boxer engine still makes the same 197 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. However, the drivetrain isn't entirely untouched thanks to a new air filter, engine oil cooler, a reinforced clutch, lightweight flywheel, and mechanical limited-slip differential from TRD. The six-speed transmission is also tweaked, with different gearing in first and second and an altered final drive ratio.
To keep things planted the suspension gets a new coilovers, a V-shaped tower brace in the front and another in the rear. Improved deceleration comes thanks to upgraded brakes. There also are even more goodies on the outside, including a complete body kit that includes a carbon-fiber roof and massive rear spoiler. The stock wheels are replaced with 18-inch forged magnesium units, as well.

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.

Hi-po Toyota GT86 to get KERS?

We happen to like the Toyota GT86 - and, it of course goes without saying that the same applies to the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S, as well - just the way it is. Yes, that includes the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine and its 200 horsepower at 7,000 rpm.
That said, a little extra power never hurt anybody, right?
The most obvious way to add some punch to the GT86 would be with a turbocharger, and that has indeed long been rumored for an STI version of the BRZ. Will Toyota follow suit? According to Top Gear, the answer is no. Says GT86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, "I think 300bhp with a turbo and 200g/km of CO2 would be tasteless in this day and age. And a turbo would mean the loss of the GT86's uniqueness." Perhaps a bit harsh, but there you go.