Toyota’s long-awaited rear-wheel drive sports car that it's developing together with Subaru has been confirmed for launch in 2012 and at this week’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show the Japanese auto giant has unveiled a new concept car previewing it.

Dubbed the FT-86 II, the new concept is based on the original FT-86 from 2009 and looks a lot more like a production model. Toyota admits that it is the strongest indication yet of how the production model will look and that it has clearly been inspired by Toyota’s sports cars of the past, such as the legendary 2000 GT of the 1960s.

The concept was penned at Toyota’s European design studio (ED2) and features a long, low bonnet, high wings and a rear-set cabin. It measures 4,235 mm in length, 1,795 mm across and sits 1,270 mm high. Its wheelbase is 2,570 mm in length.

2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept

2009 Toyota FT-86 Concept

A quick refresher on the FT-86: built as a joint project with Subaru, the car is a rear-drive, roughly 3,000-pound, 200 horsepower, flat-four-powered coupe.

Subaru is also thought to be working on a turbocharged "STI" version of the car, but no word of a similar high-performance variant has come from Toyota.

We should receive more info on the car’s mechanicals as Subaru is set to preview its new rear-wheel drive chassis and powertrain combo at the same Geneva event.

For more details on the Toyota and Subaru joint-sports car project, check out our previous post by clicking here, and for our complete coverage of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, click here.