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Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of

Scion iA and iM get wide bodies and whitewalls... thanks, SEMA

Scion has a quartet of customized vehicles on the way to this week's SEMA show in Las Vegas, two iM hatchbacks tuned as part of its Annual Scion Tuner Challenge, two iA sedans whipped up by the brand's lifestyle partners. Streetwear brand Crooks & Castles went with the widebody style that Japanese tuners RWB have been grafting onto Porsches and Liberty Walk has been bolting onto exotics for a few years now. Underneath the punched-out flares there's an air suspension that'll put one of those custom mesh wheels in the air, while the iM's insides are draped in black-and-white leather. Fellow streetwear brand illest worked up another iM in the manner of Japanese VIP cars, with 19-inch wheels outside and suede and leather inside. In the other corner, Eddie Huang, he of the TV show Fresh Off the Boat, took the lowrider route with his iA. The Scion boasts a mural-emblazoned metallic yellow paint job and root beer accents, chain-link steering wheel, and gold-dipped wire wheels and grille. Skybound Entertainment, the entertainment company that brings shows like The Walking Dead to life, forsook zombies for demons with its iA, cued off the theme of graphic novelist Robert Kirkman's latest book Outcast. You can read more about all four cars below, and we'll have live images from the SEMA floor soon. SCION SHOWCASES FASHION AND PASSION TORRANCE, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2015) – Creative visions of the Scion iM 5-door hatchback and Scion iA sedan are ready for Las Vegas lights. The cars were previewed in the downtown Los Angeles' Arts District ahead of their debut at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 3-6. For the 11th Annual Scion Tuner Challenge, remixed versions of the all-new sporty 2016 iM 5-door hatchback were created by prominent streetwear brands illest and Crooks & Castles. Each received a Scion iM and a $15,000 build budget to put a unique spin on the car. Mark Arcenal, creative director of illest, drew inspiration for his iM concept from the Japanese VIP world, a clear departure from the race-inspired tC he built at the 2008 Scion Tuner Challenge. "With a background in motorsports, I went with familiarity for my previous Scion Tuner Challenge experience. I wanted to push the boundaries even further this time," Arcenal said.

Rutledge Wood wins Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach

Rutledge Wood took home the checkered flag at this year's Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Top Gear USA presenter, Fox Sports commentator and Honda Wagovan owner managed to take pole position in qualifying, but lost his lead early in the race to Mark Steines. Steines has competed in the Pro/Celebrity race four times so far, but the Hallmark channel host of Home and Family couldn't quite hold on to the lead. Wood eventually made up the ground he had lost for the win. This year, all the participants went fender to fender in identically prepared Scion FR-S racers.
Meanwhile, Adam Carolla took first in the Pro category, and Toyota donated $5,000 on behalf of each participant to Racing for Kids. The charity benefits children's hospitals in the Long Beach area, and this year Toyota donated a total of $90,000. Check out the full press release below for more information.