Toyota S-FR concept morphs into racer for Tokyo Auto Salon

Toyota’s S-FR sports car concept from this year’s Tokyo motor show has morphed into a race car, and will be presented at the Tokto Auto Salon in January.

New visual additions to the sporty Kei car include flared wheel arches, air vents on the bonnet and new spoilers at the front and rear. The concept is longer, wider and lower than the original S-FR.

The concept is said to embody Toyota’s vision “of the S-FR as a performance vehicle born for the racing circuit. While the model displayed at the Tokyo motor show had simple, familiar styling, the Toyota S-FR Racing Concept aims for a more aggressive look.”

The original S-FR concept, envisioned as a back-to-basics rival for the Mazda MX-5, weighs just 980kg. Although Toyota has never officially revealed the car’s powertrain, leaked technical speciations pointed towards a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 128bhp and 109lb ft of torque, with power directed through a six-speed manual transmission.

Although there are currently no plans to bring the S-FR to the UK in production form, strong public reaction to the Tokyo concept is understood to be building the case for a launch in Japan.