Toyota's TF108...

agreed, very nice looking.........

 

(from autosport.com)

The Toyota team on Thurdsday unveiled their new car for the 2008 season, hoping it will help them take a big step forward after a disappointing 2007.

The Japanese squad, with one of the biggest budgets in Formula One, scored just 13 points last year, finishing in a disappointing sixth position with a couple of sixth places as their best result.

This year the team are hoping to take a significant step forward with the TF108, unveiled in Germany today.

"We have to perform significantly better than in 2007," said team president John Howett in this week's Autosport magazine.

"I believe we have the same level of hardware and resources as the top teams, we simply need to keep pushing to improve the total package."

The TF108, which incorporates a McLaren-style bridge wing, will be raced by Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, joining the team after taking the GP2 crown last year.

Toyota's new car will make its track debut at the Jerez circuit next Sunday.
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Car seems to be an amalgam of aero tidbits they got from other cars, coated in the same bland livery, to be driven by one underperformer and one unknown.

 

I really hope they do well this year.

It's a shame they don't perform as a top team vs. all the effort/money thrown at this program.

It's like the NY Yankees coming in last place. It just doesn't make sense.

 

No it doesn't make sense, but hearting to know it takes more than just money to have a F1 winning car..Honda is the same boat for that reason they got Ross B.

 

But other than that they should do quite well....

 

Yea, I'm hoping they do well this year. 2005 seems sooo long ago with them consistently on the podiums. It's nice to see them taking a risk as this car isn't an evolution of last year’s car (all the cars were evolutionary going back to 2002) but a totally brand new design. It's make or break time for them, let’s hope they get it done right.

 

I agree completely.

 

Major aerodynamic revisions in a bid to improve driveability, a longer wheelbase and the introduction of a seamless-shift gearbox for the first time.
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...lets see if they work as well as Ferraris, since they are not only caps for aero efficiency but a pretty complex cooling device that allows smaller brakecooling intakes that generate lots of drag...

 

I believe they were running seamless-shift last year. That was part of the trade with Williams for equal engines. Williams got the same engines and Toyota got their seamless-shift gear info.

 

I may stand corrected I read it somewhere but can't remember, will post it if I find it!!

 

Too bad the driver line up is terrible.... They need a top line driver to sort out the car. I give Toyota one more year ... especially if the there is a world wide recession.

 

Here it is but although I believe your correct: http://www.itv-f1.com/popups/Photo.aspx?PG_ID=22&Image=7

 

Fine them $100million!

 

Hmmm... I'll see if I can dig up the PitPass article on the engien/gearbox exchange. I very well could be wrong.

 

Compared to the other F1 cars, Toyota's looks pretty vanilla. I guess this F1 car does have something in common with it's street counterparts.

 

Fine them $100 million when they leave at the end of the season due to poor performance again!They should dump the factory team and just supply engines.
Remember all the years at Lemans,almost winning?!!!!!!

 

i sure hope they land a podium spot at least once this season 8/

 

I think its interesting they went from a zero keel to a twin keel on the 08 car, i guess they couldn't keep the suspension peaces from failing on it.

 

If this car doesn't change Toyota's F1 playing ground, the drivers will all be staring at the back of the car, trying to pass, while stuck in the Trulli train!
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