For real this time?
Remember how the world was really happy when Subaru and Toyota joined hands to create a small, lithe, rear-drive coupe that eventually became the BRZ and 86, respectively? And remember how even happier the motoring world was when we found out how good they were?
Well, its been nearly five years since both cars made their debuts, and ever since their introduction there have been calls to make an even more capable, more focused, perhaps more powerful version. Those pleas have largely gone unanswered, but the newest car Subaru is teasing may change that.
The company known previously as Fuji Heavy Industries have released picture via Twitter of a BRZ’s boot with a rather large rear wing attached that brandishes their high-performance STI division (Subaru Tecnica International) logo, leading everyone to interpret unanimously that a faster, harder version of the BRZ is coming down the pipe, confirming the previous spy photos that showed a more aggressive version of the car undergoing testing.
The Twitter tease on the Subaru USA profile was merely accompanied with the caption “Stay tuned…6/8/17. #STI”.
At least the slow drip of additional teasers and hype-building material won’t last long as the reveal is only a few days away on the 8th of June, 2017. Subaru previously showed what their idea of a BRZ STI could look like with the Sport Concept at the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon and even earlier wth the even more extreme looking Performance Concept in 2015 and the Concept STi of 2011 that preceded the production car.
Along with the fixed carbon wing, we can expect a production version of the car to also include the requisite upgraded suspension components as well as a revised front end with more pronounced front splitter. When it comes to the possibility of a significantly increased power output, though, we’re optimistic but earlier indications aren’t all that reassuring.
It could be that Subaru have extracted more performance from the engine through an engine remap and/or improved internals, intakes, and extractors for the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-four, but a significant step such the addition of a turbocharger (or two) is possible, though not probable.
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