The Family Tree of the Scion FR-S is quite impressive.  And it creates some pretty big shoes to fill.

Scion FR-S Scion of HollywoodPhoto Credit: Scion of Hollywood

We recently did a story about the best generations of cars, where you can easily see the same model and badge over the course of generations.  The opposite of that is inspiration, or changing from one model to the next.  With this strategy, timing needs to be perfect and the right elements to keep and the rest to change are crucial.  The Scion FR-S Project has turned out right on the money.

Toyota Motor Corporation president and CEO Akio Toyoda is a lifelong motorsport fanatic. For the Scion FR-S, he wanted to create a sports car that he would want to drive. The goal was to realize the dreams of young drivers who lusted after legendary supercars.

We covered the family tree of the Lexus LFA briefly, and as you would imagine, some overlaps here with the Scion FR-S.  Scion has even dedicated a slide show for its heritage.

Toyota has a proud sport heritage.  In 1965, there was the Sports 800 followed by the 2000GT, considered to be the first Japanese supercar.  Then in 1983, the Corolla GT-S attracted motorsport enthusiasts with its rear-wheel drive, light weight and superior handling.  With the FR-S, Scion delivers rear-wheel drive, power, balance and style.  The FR-S reminds us what it’s like to get behind the wheel of a real sports car.

Like Lexus LFA and Toyota Supra, the Scion FR-S takes inspiration from the first real go for Toyota at exotics, the Toyota 2000GT.  Still looking forward to getting a track day with this FR-S

Toyota Sports 800

Toyota 800 S

Dominating the first Japanese Grand Prix in 1963, Toyota set out to build an inexpensive, easy-to-drive sports car for mass production.

They created the Toyota Sports 800 with a front-engine (F) rear-wheel drive (R) layout. The Sports 800 was made as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible to take on cars with larger engines. Its low center of gravity gave it far better balance and superior handling.

This race-winning “Yota-Hachi” became the granddaddy to generations of Toyota sports cars to come.

 

Toyota 2000 GT

Toyota 2000GT

The FR-S gets its looks from the Toyota 2000GT. During development of the FR-S, a GT was even brought in to help inspire the design team.

Considered by many to be the first Japanese supercar, the 2000GT incorporated features of a luxury car and still set 13 international speed records. With its high price tag, the 2000GT was considered a “dream car” for most. Now the dream has become reality with the new FR-S.

 Toyota AE86

Toyota-AE86 Drift Car

Photo Credit: taddicts.com

As many cars began to adopt a front-engine, front-wheel drive layout, Toyota kept the FT layout on the Corolla GT-S to offer sporty performance at a reasonable price.  Known affectionately by enthusiasts as the AE86, the model is still revered buy loyal enthusiasts and racing fans today.

The spirit of the AE86 is infused into every piece of the Scion FR-S all the way down to its custom “86″ heritage badges.