Production of the rumored partnership sports car by Toyota and Subaru, dubbed the ‘Toyobaru 086A’ (ring a bell?), will proceed, despite reports earlier this year that it will be postponed.

The joint venture was first announced back in April of 2008. Both Toyota and Subaro both issued statements that the plan was to put a new, rear-wheel drive coupe on production by late 2011.

The news has both Toyota and Subaru fans excited. It’s supposedly to relive the legacy put forth by, and to serve as tribute to, the legendary Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno AE86, which has reached cult status to this day in the world of drifting.

Drifting is a motor sport which was borne on the mountain passes of Japan. It’s a form of racing wherein instead of using grip to overcome high speed corners, the driver initiates a controlled oversteer, or a drift, to maintain momentum around the corner.

What started as an underground form of racing in Japan is now a major motor sport with a worldwide following. Responsible for raising drifting to sport status is none other than the Drift King, Japanese racing driver Keiichi ‘Dorikin’ Tsuchiya. He is recognized worldwide for his role in bringing drifting to the world of motor sports driving the venerable Sprinter Trueno, or more famously known as ‘Eight Six’.

It’s too early to tell, though, whether the Toyobaru will live up to its legendary predecessor’s status. One thing sure is that a lot of Toyota and Subaru fans are going to be pleased with the new car’s rear-wheel drivetrain.

Sharing the Sprinter Trueno’s FR configuration, plus the immense power of a stock Subaru Impreza’s engine, the new car is like something borne out of Japanese artist Shuiichi Shigeno’s equally famous manga (comic) and anime (cartoon), Initial D.

Initial D is a manga about the racing adventures of a young man using his dad’s Sprinter Trueno. Dubbed as the “Little Hachi that could”, the underdog Trueno and its driver, eighteen year old Takumi Fujiwara, goes on to conquer the world of street racing. Later in the story, Takumi gets to drive another of his dad’s cars, a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, which further improves his skills behind the wheel.

Both the manga and anime rose to fame following the rise of drifting as a sport. Thanks to Initial D, both the Eight Six and the Impreza developed huge and loyal fan bases all over the world. Meanwhile, as the demand for the Eight Six soared in the world of drifting, the Impreza was already a dominating force in the world of rallying, especially in the World Rally Championship.

There is no doubt that the Toyobaru will be expected to live up to both the Sprinter Trueno’s and Impreza’s reputations as race-winning sports cars. It has the best of both worlds – rear wheel drivetrain configuration, unbeaten on the race track, plus a powerful engine.

The question is will fans be able to avail it once it comes into production. There are no reports as of yet whether it will be sold in Europe or America apart from Japan. So all you fans will just have to stay tuned.

Source: World Car Fans