2013 Toyota GT 86 Open Top Concept

But the early returns on the GT 86 have been very promising, a testament to the kind of popularity Toyota’s sports coupe has enjoyed in its short lifespan. It’s become such a hit that the clamoring for a convertible version has been deafening for a while now.

Well, Toyota listened, fellas. At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the Japanese automaker will debut a concept version of a convertible GT 86. It’s rumored to be called the GT 86 Open Top Concept and Toyota has gone on record suggesting that the model "previews a possible future development of the award-winning GT 86 sports coupe" with the intention of gauging the public’s reaction on how an open-top GT 86 will be received.

Incidentally, Toyota also said that a prototype for the convertible GT 86 is already being tested so we’re not entirely sure what Toyota meant about "gauging the public’s reaction." With tests in progress, that appears to be a rhetorical statement.

Either way, an official sketch of the concept has been released, showing what looks like a 2+2 seating layout with a slightly redesigned rear end to highlight the visage of a convertible. We don’t know if the roof will regular cloth or a retractable metal top, but considering that one item is lighter and cheaper than the other, we’d venture to say that Toyota will go for the cloth roof.

In terms of power, we can safely assume that this concept will feature the same 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter boxer-four that the hard-top variant already uses. This engine will link up to a manual six-speed transmission and likely hit 100 km/h in the 7-second range.