I'm not sure it's socially acceptable to admit to enjoying driving these days. It's a bit like saying you're into hare coursing. I'm afraid I do, though – like driving, that is (coursing I don't know – I've never tried it. I can't imagine I would. I like hares). And cars don't get much more enjoyable to drive than this one.
It's not the quickest, the cleverest or the flashiest. That's part of its brilliance. Too many sports cars these days have so much power, and massive fat tyres to keep them on the road, and all sorts of sophisticated electronics to help you keep control, that you may as well not be (in control). It's like driving by proxy.
Not so this one. A modest two-litre flat four boxer engine, a little under 200bhp, 151lb ft... sorry, I'm turning into a boy. Basically, it's not very, very powerful. But it's light, with a low centre of gravity, rear-wheel drive, beautifully balanced, precise, accurate. Oh, and those tyres – they're the same ones they put on a bloody Prius. Meaning you can drift a bit on the corners, if you so wished.
And there you have it, the old-fashioned pleasure of driving, Mr Toad style, machine connecting man to road. Poop poop. So maybe you won't get there quite as fast as the fat cats in their supercars. But you will arrive with just as big a smile on your face.
Bigger, in fact – Cheshire to their fat. Not only because you're more in touch with the road, but because bystanders aren't making the internationally recognisable sign for small penis at you as you pass. (I'm assuming these are male drivers; a woman in a supercar is something quite different, and absolutely acceptable).
Plus, you've spent a fraction of what they have. Grin per pound, this is about as high as it gets. Apart from a Subaru BRZ, perhaps, which is exactly the same car as this one, only ever so slightly more desirable because Subaru is a cooler brand than Toyota.
To return – neatly – to hare coursing. If the Ferraris and Porsches are the greyhounds, then the GT86 is the hare – more nimble and agile on the turns... Yeah, except that analogy doesn't really work because a Porsche or a Ferrari actually corners quicker, too, even if it may not feel like it, so the hare's going to be caught every time. That's no good.
OK, then, how about this: it's not just the steering on the GT86 that's brilliant, the brakes are, too. So if an actual hare ran into the road, chances are you'd be able to stop, or steer around it. There you go, everyone's happy, especially the hare.