Background: Toyota shocked their traditional buyers when they announced a joint venture with Subaru, developing a new range of small, light, powerful two-seater sportscars – the first for Toyota since the legendary 2000GT of the 1960s, which was only ever available in extremely limited numbers.

Hinted at in concept form as far back as 2007, with a variety of different powerplants and chassis derivations, the car finally hit the market in early 2012, powered by a 2.0-litre version of Subaru’s flat-four boxer engine with Toyota direct-injection, producing 200PS (197bhp), driving the rear wheels through a slick 6-speed manual transmission.

Like the Mazda MX-5 before it, this was a model that had ‘instant classic’ status from Day 1, combining sufficient ‘oomph’ with Aluminium panels for low weight and a nimble chassis for excellent driver feel.

Almost instantly, the vast army of determined Toyota tuning specialists began producing specials and upgrades, with TRD joining in the action, ...