What's all this then?

The Reliant Scimitar. The Lynx Eventer. The Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake. To this hallowed list of sports cars turned into semi-practical sporting estates, we can now add a new name - the Toyota GT86. Well, sort of. Unlike the previously mentioned, you'll never (sadly) be able to buy a GT86 Shooting Brake, because it's actually just a concept car, and one created by Toyota's Australian division.

"The Toyota GT86 lends itself perfectly to a concept that expands its appeal with added versatility while retaining its sleek and sporty coupe styling and sharp, responsive driving character," said Toyota Australia divisional manager national marketing, Brad Cramb. "The Shooting Brake concept is a classy option for active couples or a second car for families who want something different. Equally suited to weekends away as well as the track, it's a car you could buy with your head and your heart."

The Australian team showed off the car in Sydney, and it was actually unveiled by 'Mr GT86' himself, Tetsuya Tada. The legendary Toyota engineer was shown a scale clay mock-up of the concept, and became an immediate fan and champion of the project. "I was totally surprised - and I liked it so much I arranged for my expert takumi prototype craftsmen to hand-build the Shooting Brake concept based on the Australian design," Tada-san said. "The concept car is a fully functional, driveable vehicle that has been put through its paces on Toyota test tracks. The nicely weighted and direct steering of the 86 ensures the car retains the involving drive experience of the coupe with a slightly more neutral feel in tight corners on a driver's favourite road. While we never say never, and I would love this concept to become a production reality, it is very much a concept that demonstrates the passion within Toyota for cars that are fun to drive."

Actually, it wouldn't take much for Toyota to put this car into production. Toyota Australia design chief Nicolas Hogios told us that the design team actually kept the sheet metal changes to a minimum, pretty much out of reverence for the original. "Like kids in a lolly shop, we thought about restyling more of the car; however, like a good parent saying 'no' to too many sweets, we made the conscious decision to keep as much of the original 86 as possible, only changing what was absolutely necessary. The silhouette is still sporty, taut and energetic, but it's more practical as it allows the roof to be used to carry surfboards, bikes or storage pods for a weekend away while the larger opening of the new boot enables much easier loading. As a result, we have expanded the appeal of the coupe while intentionally retaining the purity of the now-iconic 86 style."