The red hot Toyota 86 Shooting Brake concept car. Picture: Supplied

The 86 Shooting Brake was conceived in Melbourne, built in Japan, and has already triggered massive interest in Europe.

It’s an extension of the 86 sports car that is already a global bestseller and has the personal backing of chief engineer Tetsuya Tada.

Toyota has previously tried to spin the 86 into a convertible, even building a concept car for motor show displays, but Tada believes there is more potential in the Shooting Brake.

Asked directly if it could be headed for full-scale production, he is enthusiastic.

“Yes. Definitely not no,” Tada tells NewsCorp. “Yes, there is more potential than the convertible.”

The Toyota 86 Shooting Brake concept car. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The car was unveiled Friday in Canberra in advance of the third annual Toyota 86 Festival in the national capital.

The Shooting Brake project began in November 2014 when Tada was first shown a clay model of the car, developed by Toyota Australia’s product design team.

It was fast-tracked in Japan and the display car in Australia this week is a drivable prototype.

The car is a four-door with an extended 86 roofline that creates a hatchback-style boot.

The man behind the project, Toyota Australia chief designer Nick Hogios, says there was a lot of discussion on the original idea before his team settled on making only minor changes to the 86’s rear quarter and roof.

“(we were) like kids in a lolly shop. We thought about restyling more of the car,” he says.

“However, like good parents saying no to too many sweets, we made the conscious decision to keep as much of the original 86 as possible.”