Toyota's S-FR concept is the tiny RWD sports car we want and need

A collective ‘ahhhhh’, everyone. This is the adorable Toyota S-FR, and we want to give it a big hug and ruffle its hair.

The Tokyo motor show is nearly upon us, and don’t we know it: the madcap little concepts are coming thick and fast.

It’s going to take a lot to top this, though. It looks like a Mercedes AMG GT was described over the phone to Toyota’s Japanese designers by a toddler, and we’re quite smitten. At a smidge under four metres long, the S-FR is bigger than a Kei sports car, such as Honda’s S660, but is little longer than a Mini or a Fiesta. It seats four, but two of them probably need to be minute.

And if you thought the GT86 was Toyota finding the affordable, everyman sports car sweet spot, then be prepared to lose your collective marbles for this. Pitched in a size below the ’86, it retains the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, but on a smaller scale.

Things like power and weight haven’t been confirmed as yet, but rumours earlier this year suggested Toyota wanted to launch a diddy sports car with around 130bhp and a kerbweight below 1 tonne.

That would ensure a power-to-weight ratio not far short of its big, slidey brother. And a six-speed manual gearbox and independent suspension are signs the S-FR is aimed at people who want to have fun driving their car.

Toyota claims this S-FR is a mere concept, but we’re having none of it. When was the last time you saw a concept car with such realistically sized wheels and mirrors? And an interior with sensible plastics and the full suite of electric mirror and window switches in a sane place?

One quick gander at the cabin tells us Toyota has already rubber-stamped this and is merely whetting our appetites. The question we ought to be pondering, then, is will they be able to bring it to our shores? The campaign starts here…