It started with my pursuit of a fun car to replace my 2013 BMW M3 convertible (hint hint – up for sale soon with MaxCare!). I searched for a yellow manual-transmission car under $40,000 with 70,000 miles. Up popped this adorable 2026 Toyota GR86 “Yuzu” Edition. What on earth is a “Yuzu” edition, I wondered. And there the descent began. Took me down the trail of collaboration between Scion/Toyota and Subaru and a bunch of limited-run, special-edition cars that seemed like unicorns, but left me wondering. Here’s what I learned: some of it accurate, all of it new to me. Maybe you knew this? Holler if I got it wrong.

The 2026 GR86 Yuzu Edition is indeed one of 860 offered this year, all of them in “Yuzu Yellow”, with matte black 18-inch wheels, yellow interior stitching, a GR cat-back exhaust, and a year of NASA membership included. Turns out that’s the National Auto Sport Association, not the space folks. It starts at $37,560. Same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as other current GR86 special editions. It’s the newest, the most expensive GR86.

The Yuzu Edition gets Brembo brakes, SACHS dampers instead of shocks, 18″ wheels instead of 17’s, and the cool exhaust. And it’s yellow. But a Premium GR86 can be optioned with the same performance package for $1,500, and you can have it in any color you want. But who wouldn’t want their sports car yellow?

The motor is a 2.4-liter “Boxer” making 228 horsepower, and here’s where it starts to get interesting. A little research suggests the boxer is special because its pistons move horizontally left-and-right (like two boxers punching each other’s gloves) rather than up-and-down like a normal car engine. This flat design allows the entire engine to sit incredibly low in the car, lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity and improving handling. Only Porsche and Subaru make boxer engines anymore, and, surprise, this motor is a Subaru block. While all Subarus have a boxer engine, this boxer is not the same one – made especially for this line of cars.

The 2026 Toyota GR86 Yuzu Edition is here in Puyallup, Washington.

Stock No: 28816614 VIN: JF1ZNBM17T9076070

In fact, much of the car is a Subaru, a derivative of the BRZ. And the GR86 (and 86 before that) is a cousin of the defunct Scion FR-S, also a BRZ (mostly). All three are made in a Japanese Subaru plant, with all their VIN’s beginning with JF1 – the global code for Subaru. In short, Subaru makes the engine block and chassis, and Toyota makes the dual-fuel injection system, transmission, and design.

The Scion of the Family….Literally

The “Yuzu” part caught my attention, so I went to the web to learn what it was all about. And bingo! The “Yuzu” comes from the 2015 Scion FR-S “Release Series 1.0”. Scion, in its final year as a brand, built exactly 1,500 of these: bright yellow “Yuzu” paint, Toyota Racing Division (TRD) lowering springs, TRD exhaust tips, a TRD shift knob and steering wheel, red-stitched black seats, HID/LED headlights, and a numbered aluminum plate on the console. It started at $29,990; manual was standard, automatic a $1,100 option. The 2.0-liter boxer made 200 horsepower. When Scion folded in 2016 and the car became the Toyota 86 for 2017, this yellow send-off edition is the one Toyota would eventually return to, eleven years later, to pay tribute with the 2026 GR86 Yuzu Edition. And CarMax had this one for sale, #0874 of 1500, when I started this piece. But it just sold for $21,998 with only 21,000 miles. And it was an automatic.

The 2015 Scion FR-S has only 21,000 miles, was here in Tampa, and was just sold.

Stock No: 70171269 VIN: JF1ZNAA14F8706393

“Love. It’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”

But there’s way more to the story! In 2015, Subaru matched the Toyota/Scion limited-edition action with the BRZ Series.Blue*** – 1,000 units total, half in WR Blue Pearl and half in Crystal White Pearl, with STI-branded 17-inch wheels, red brake calipers, STI aero underspoilers, blue Alcantara-and-leather seats, and revised dampers — Subaru’s version of TRD parts, just badged STI. Same 2.0-liter boxer engine, same 200 horsepower, but manual transmission only; Subaru never offered an automatic on this one. It started at $29,490 — a touch less than its Toyota-badged twin. If you want the manual-only, no-frills version of this story, this is it.

***I could not find why these are called “Series.Blue”, other than maybe the WRX STi rally cars were blue.

A bit rare at 1,000 total – 500 units in each color- and my lucky day, CarMax has one of each! The white one sells for $25k and the blue one for $24k – not much depreciation for these limited editions.

The white 2015 Subara BRZ Series.Blue is on hold here in Columbus, Georgia.

Stock No: 70141669 VIN: JF1ZCAC1XF9601290

The blue Series.Blue (duh) is here in Renton, Washington.

Stock No: 70048642 VIN: JF1ZCAC1XF9601239

And the Toyota family tree continues.….

The 2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition is where the number “860” actually comes from — and unlike everything that followed, it was a marketing flourish and a headcount. Toyota built 860 units in Supernova Orange and another 860 in Halo White, 1,720 total, each with orange-stitched black leather, heated seats, 17-inch wheels, LED fog lights, and a numbered console plaque.

I couldn’t find the numbered plaque in this one’s pics. It started at $29,155 with the manual, $29,875 with the automatic. The 2.0-liter boxer made 205 horsepower with the manual, 200 with the automatic. Every “860” special edition since has been chasing this car’s exact production number, whether or not it says so on the badge. CarMax has this one listed at $26k. Again, very little depreciation.

The 2017 Toyota 86 860 Special Edition is here in Murrieta, California.

Stock No: 28772078 VIN: JF1ZNAA13H9707189

Our journey goes on…..

The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition is the one member of this family that isn’t actually about being rare — it’s also about being good to drive. Toyota built 1,418 of them, all in Raven Black, and instead of spending the budget on paint and interior trim, put it into Brembo brakes (12.8-inch front rotors, 12.4-inch rear, four-piston calipers), SACHS performance dampers, and a full TRD aero kit. It started at $32,420. Same 205-horsepower 2.0-liter boxer as other manual 86s. If everything else on this list is a special edition you’d want to keep low-mileage, this is the one you’re supposed to actually take to a track day. This one is also selling for $26k. I’m seeing a pattern.

The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD SE is here in Southlake, Georgia.

Stock No: 70164333 VIN: JF1ZNAE11K9702588

It’s a “hah-KOH-nay”…..

The 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition is the first car to be named after a place instead of a person, a paint code, or a production run. Hakone is a mountain toll road outside Tokyo, near Mt. Fuji, well known in Japanese driving culture for its hairpins. Toyota built 860 for the US (plus 30 for Canada) in Hale Green Pearl, with bronze-finish 17-inch wheels and Ultrasuede seats. It started at $30,825. Same 205-horsepower 2.0-liter boxer. This is the quiet one on the list — no graphics package, no anime reference, just a genuinely nice color combo.

The 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition is here in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Stock No: 29113873 VIN: JF1ZNAE15L8750411

Don’t forget your anniversary!

The 2023 GR86 10th Anniversary Special Edition marks ten years since the original 86/FR-S launched for the 2013 model year***, and it’s the first special edition built on the second-generation GR86, with the larger 2.4-liter boxer making 228 horsepower. Toyota built 860 of them in Solar Shift orange, with a Gazoo Racing-tuned cat-back exhaust, matte black 18-inch wheels, and a black duckbill spoiler. CarMax has one. Original pricing was maybe $33,175. If you want the newer engine and still want orange, this is the one — the Hakone and Yuzu editions both went in other directions with color.

***CarMax no longer sells 2013 models of anything, going back only 12 model years, so no original 86/FR-S cars for sale here – they do have some 2014’s though.

Gen 2 of this platform brought us a completely redesigned interior, with digital displays and modern technology. Credit to the CarMax photographer for this colorful shot! More importantly, the additional horsepower reduced 0-60 mph runs from the low sixes to 5.4 seconds, as tested by the Car and Driver folks.

The 2023 Toyota GR86 10th Anniversary Edition is coming soon here in Puyallup, Washington. Same place that has the 2026 Yuzu!

Stock No: 70136216 VIN: JF1ZNBH16P8754863

The truth about Trueno…..

TRUENO, like Hakone, flummoxed me. Maybe the 2024 GR86 TRUENO Edition is built for people who’ve never heard of a Trueno and don’t need to have. Some research noted this car recreates the black-and-white “panda” livery of the 1986 Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 — the car made famous by the manga-and-anime series Initial D — on just 860 US-market cars (plus 50 more for Canada), with black 18-inch wheels, red-stitched Ultrasuede seats, a red-badged shift knob, SACHS dampers, and standard Brembo brakes. It started at $34,720. Same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as other second-generation cars.

Whether or not the reference lands, the two-tone paint alone makes it the most visually distinct car on this list. I’ve never been a fan of black hoods. They remind me of cars from my childhood that had been wrecked and body panels replaced but not painted. But I don’t think the TRUENO Edition is for 66-year-old dudes.

The 2024 Toyota GR86 TRUENO Edition is coming soon here in Kansas City, Kansas.

Stock No: 29064344 VIN: JF1ZNBM13R9751065

Hakone Gen 2…..

The 2025 GR86 Hakone Edition is a direct sequel to the 2020 car: same name, same mountain-road reference, updated for the newer platform. Toyota built 860 of them in matte Ridge Green, with satin-bronze 18-inch wheels, heated Ultrasuede seats, and the larger 8-inch touchscreen that came with the GR86’s mid-cycle update. It started around $36,405. The engine is the same, so by now you probably don’t want pics, if you ever did. If the 2020 Hakone was the quiet one, this is its equally quiet successor — still no graphics, still no anime reference, still just a color other special editions weren’t using.

The 2025 Toyota GR86 Hakone Edition, Gen 2, is coming soon here in Norcross, Georgia.

Stock No: 70216279 VIN: JF1ZNBM10S9750400

Finally, The Color Purple……The Rarest Of The Bunch

The 2025 Subaru BRZ Series.Purple is the most limited in this entire family of limited editions — just 500 units, fewer than any Toyota, Scion, or Subaru special edition on this list, 860 club included. It debuted in Galaxy Purple Pearl, a color nothing else in the lineup has touched, with satin silver 18-inch wheels, black Ultrasuede seats with gray stitching and gray leather bolsters, an STI short-throw shifter, an STI Flexible V-Bar chassis brace, and an STI logo on the red engine start button and aluminum shift knob. Like the original 2015 Series.Blue, it’s manual-only — Subaru has never once offered an automatic on one of these. It started at $35,445. Yes, the same 228-horsepower 2.4-liter boxer as the current GR86. If you wanted the single hardest one of these ten cars to actually find, this is it.

STI Flexible V-Bar: The engine bay looks wildy different for the Purple. I exaggerate. As I understand it, this is a specialized, pivot-jointed strut tower brace installed directly under the hood. Unlike completely rigid bars, it flexes longitudinally to maintain ride comfort while remaining stiff sideways, which sharpens steering response and locks the front end tightly into corners. How special is that?!

Finally, the 2025 Subaru BRZ Series.Purple is coming soon here in Omaha, Nebraska.

Stock No: 70213592 VIN: JF1ZDBE15S9702389

None of these are must-own cars — underneath the paint, every one of them is still an economical rear-wheel-drive coupe that started around $30,000 new. But that’s sort of the point. The TRD Special Edition is the one to actually drive hard. The TRUENO is the one to park at cars-and-coffee and watch people who grew up on Initial D lose their minds. The Yuzu is the one that’s rare today and will be rarer in five years, once people can no longer find one with the yellow interior stitching still perfect. Toyota figured out that scarcity is a cheaper way to make a good car interesting than horsepower is. And 860 units a year, apparently, is the exact right amount of scarce.

I wondered how rare these are, or did Toyota and Subaru only ever sell a handful of these cars to begin with? Depends entirely on the year. Across its whole run, Toyota (and Scion, before the badge switch) sold about 68,250 FR-S/86 coupes in the US from 2013 through 2021, plus roughly 46,500 GR86s from 2022 through mid-2026 — call it 115,000 Toyota-badged cars, total, over thirteen years. Subaru sold another 58,300 or so BRZs across both generations in that same stretch. Add the three badges together and this entire family amounts to something like 173,000 cars sold in the US, ever — not a huge number, which is exactly why an 860-unit special edition can matter enormously some years and barely register in others.

In 2017, the 860 Special Edition’s 1,720 units were roughly a quarter of that entire year’s 86 sales. Remember, that was 860 in orange and 860 in white – cheating, sort of? In 2019, the TRD Special Edition’s 1,418 units were something like 42 percent of all Toyota 86 sales that year — 42 percent of the niche little sports car, not of Toyota the company, which sold well over two million vehicles total that same year. But within the 86’s own tiny world, “special edition” and “most of what was actually selling” were nearly the same thing by the end of the first generation. The GR86 sells better than the old 86 did, so its specials are more genuinely rare in context: 860 units usually works out to somewhere between 6 and 11 percent of a typical GR86 sales year, depending on how the year went. Numerically, 860 was never really the point — it’s a small slice of an already small pie, and how small a slice depends entirely on how big that particular pie was. And then Subaru went and undercut everybody: the 2025 BRZ Series.Purple was capped at just 500 units, the smallest number on this entire list, 860-club included.

Here’s the part that actually matters if you’re shopping and not just collecting trivia: these cars don’t depreciate like a normal used sports coupe. The 2020 Hakone, the 10th Anniversary, the TRUENO, and the 2025 Hakone are all currently asking more than their original window sticker on CarMax — some with under 20,000 miles. The almost brand-new 2026 Yuzu is pricing almost exactly at MSRP despite already carrying 6,000 miles. Only the original 2017 car – the 860x 2- and the 1,418-unit TRD Special Edition are the only two priced meaningfully under sticker. More units built, less mystique, ordinary used-car math. And regardless of the rarity, I suspect they are just fun to drive.

And finally, skip MaxCare. These aren’t expensive cars and should be reliable as hell!