New patent images have revealed the Toyota 86 Convertible with its soft-top roof up for the first time, suggesting the highly anticipated sports car is inching closer to production.
The images, first published by Car and Driver magazine, confirm the Japanese car maker has worked hard to maintain the clean profile of the Toyota 86 coupe with the design of the new fabric roof, which wraps tightly over the four-seat cabin.
The patent sketches mirror the form of the Toyota 86 Convertible that was previewed as a near-production-ready concept at last month’s Geneva motor show.
While yet to be officially confirmed for production, the soft-top 86 is set to join the coupe in Toyota’s line-up in the not-too-distant future. The final production version is tipped to debut as early as the end of this year, potentially at the Tokyo motor show in November.
Expected to reach showrooms in 2014, the Toyota 86 Convertible will almost certainly retain the coupe’s 147kW/205Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer engine that is shared with its sister car, the Subaru BRZ.
Speaking with CarAdvice in Geneva, the CEO of Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, Yasayuki Yoshinaga said his company is yet to decide whether it will follow Toyota’s lead with its own convertible variant.
