NAIAS 2014: The Toyota FT-1 Concept Is Half-Jet Fighter

Of all the cars that will be revealed today, few will be anywhere near as cool as the Toyota FT-1 Concept. From the imagination of U.S. design company Calty Design Research comes a supercar that looks, well, American.

The FT-1 is American in the sense that it has a massive front hood with a low-hanging cockpit. There are, however, design features that are outside of the classical American muscle car look. The rear of the car, for example, narrows from the side mirrors onward. This makes the rise of the passenger compartment disappear almost as soon as it appears, swallowed up in the name of aerodynamics.

The rear itself is remarkably tall. It starts off high above the ground and ends higher than the rear window descends. This clever bit of visual styling will undoubtedly produce coveted downforce to keep the car stable at high speeds. Beneath both the front and rear headlamps are cavernous of air intakes or outtakes; it’s hard to say because they recede so deep that you can hardly tell where they lead.

Finally, and this is our favorite part, the front has two propeller-shaped vents under the hood that might serve as radiator outlets –again, that’s guesswork of ours. It basically makes the FT-1 look like it’s 50 percent aircraft.

Check out full photos of the FT-1 at Motor Authority and extra video about how Calty designed the FT-1. Whether and when this car will arrive is uncertain, but we sure hope it will find its way to U.S. shores soon.