Nicebiscuit

Not enough room for everybody - so Alex and I set off in the Toyota, Claire and Anya on the train. They were due in at 13.02. We made it at 13.01, but they'd managed to get on an earlier train out of Victoria. We had more fun... VERY empty M6 toll... [emoji41] Kids are staying in London, Bob is loaded with skis and we'll be in the Alps by tomorrow teatime [emoji1] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To Crystal Palace by GT86 and Virgin Trains respectively, in Top Gear style. The boys in the car lost (dammit) but by a matter of minutes... Better luck next time. [emoji35] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FFS - someone buy this. That's fantastic value...

Yes I can vouch for the existence of at least one red Primo. Mind you mine was an older stock one as it still had the 17" alloys. Was interested in whether they'd changed the shade. It's an ok colour but would be nicer if deeper. Ferrari did red the right way...

Well.... There would have been. My usual route is over the Col du Lauteret to Briancon - open all winter. Usually at least 20km driving on snow [emoji41] But that's off the menu due to a tunnel collapse over summer. So unfortunately it's the Frejus tunnel and then round the back via Italy. The road from Sauze D'Oulx down to Briancon is quite nice though. Cracking views.

I would - sounds fun - but me and my Toyota are going to be 1500m up in the French Alps next week. Next time definitely... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like an S&M club... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Screaming flat plane V8s are great, but I do like a bit of muscle car rumble... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So is there a new shade of red as well? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd just like the ability to bypass the s/c altogether. I like the idea of one, but don't want it helping gobble fuel when I'm tootling about on a light throttle. For that reason (and that alone) I can see me going down the turbo route with this car. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My BMW had start stop. Was fine and never gave any issues. But a bit pointless. My main issue with all this stuff is that it's mainly gaming the test cycle. In the end the CO2 the car puts out is directly related to the fuel burned. Both the GT86 and the Saab that preceded it can just about crack 40mpg if driving frugally or nearer 30mpg or not. Yet allegedly the Saab emits 50g/km more CO2. That's a physical impossibility. (I might add that the Saab also put out an extra 80bhp and weighed 400kg more...) I'm not blaming the manufacturers, but the legislation seems counter productive - increasing complexity and shortening useful lifespan in the pursuit of dubious efficiency gains. Interesting the example of the twin charged 1.4tsi VAG engine came up. They stopped making that didn't they? Fairly troublesome as I recall. Polo GTI now has a straight 1.8 turbo... I like the hybrids as they seem to offer genuine efficiency gains if you do a lot of urban driving. The Toyota system is nothing special on a run, but knocks a diesel into a cocked hat in stop start traffic, with the added bonus of not spewing out soot.

Oh, I'm quite excited about the potential of hybrids. Borrowed an Auris and whilst not sporty in a million years I liked the power train - and very economical in town. But at the other end of the spectrum look what Porsche and mclaren are up to... Energy density just isn't there yet, but if it were, a hybrid GT86 would be right up my street. Especially if you could tootle to Sainsbury on battery power. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lymm's nicer though ;-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad your suppliers are doing the decent thing too. Always good to see. I can't wait to see the GTV86. What you are doing there is basically a latter day AC Cobra. Historically, when has sticking a big V8 in a relatively lightweight sportscar ever been a bad thing? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fascinating stuff - good to hear from people with expertise. If it's mainly about recovering wasted energy then, I can't see Turbos going anywhere. Huge win from a relatively simple device. (And has been for years - as a Saab fan I'd still say the 15 year old B234 motor in my 9-5 wipes the floor with the FA20 on every level, much as I love the Toyota in every other way) But as for recovering other energy - if you gather surplus energy from regenerative braking say, what's the best thing to do with it. Does an electric supercharger make sense or better to just use the electric power direct via a motor in a hybrid configuration? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Doesn't work with the tail lights. They're plastic welded. It's either out with the dremel or the soldering iron... Hence why I'm trying it with a spare pair.

Oh, it'll be a classic, alright, just not convinced it'll be worth a lot. The best example above of the sort of thing is the Merc 190. Great car - worth less than it should be because you can't kill the damn things! See also the Porsche 944. In fact the GT86 is very much a latter-day 944. There are always ever so slightly more cars than buyers.

It won't, and not because it isn't good, but because it probably is... To be valuable down the line it needs to be popular AND rare. The cars that tend to go up in value are the ones which are made of cheese, so twenty years later there are only six left. See Sierra Cosworth. Best mainstream bet for modern classic status at the moment? Ford Puma. Because they're all terminally rusty. If you can find one of the five or so left where the bottom six inches is still solid you'll make money...

Joking aside, the car really is ace, isn't it? To me it feels like a brand new classic car. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Scared now... [emoji6] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Let me help... That first headline is 'My wife left me for her fitness instructor'. The next one down is '12 healthy rhubarb dishes' and the third is 'Top mascara tips' Enjoy :-)

Like I suspected... Many answers :-D There is the other thought that if the car could pass emissions regs without two fairly restrictive cats in the exhaust strangling the power, and by all accounts causing the torque dip and the only real whinges you hear about the car in reviews, then why would Toyota have fitted them in the first place? (By the way - I know we're slightly going OT here, but I've see TDs manifolds - they're quality kit, so where better to discuss manifolds than here. :-D )

Yup, I'm the same as above. Waiting to understand the optimum combination of exhaust bits that maximises flow without crossing your fingers at MOT time. Still not seen a definitive answer anywhere. Bound to be a compromise one way or another. Suppose one option is catless manifold (as per TDs offering) and keep stock second cat. Would it pass MOT? No idea...

It's not an aggressive car. So you don't provoke animosity. It's not one of those cars that looks like you're trying to demonstrate what enormous genitalia you have. Which is nice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I suppose it depends where they're manufactured. Completely different industry but I play guitar, and received wisdom was that cheap guitars were rubbish. But the Chinese learned quick and I have a couple of cheap Chinese instruments now that really are comparable with the expensive US ones I also have. Back with cars again, I have also been impressed with the cheap Japan Racing alloys I bought for winter wheels. No they're not forged RAYS. But they're nicely made - seem durable so far, and aren't heavy. Not crap anyway, and therefore good value. Sometimes cheaper is just cheaper. Now all we need is a Guinea pig for that manifold... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk