This first raft of STI parts perhaps hint at sportier things on the horizon for the Subaru BRZ.
While the big news of the day was the long-awaited launch of the Toyota GR86, Subaru isn’t exactly going to let its development partner steal all the thunder away from the BRZ. This is therefore perhaps why the recently introduced a series of STI performance parts for its half of the Toyobaru twins, just to further whet the appetite of enthusiasts who are patiently waiting for the actual car to arrive some time in autumn of this year.
Now to anyone who is expecting a full STI-spec BRZ at this stage, you will perhaps be disappointed as what was revealed recently were mainly cosmetic performance enhancements that add a bit of aggression to this smiley-faced Subaru.
Starting up the front, these STI add-ons include an extended front lip spoiler and more aggressive side air intakes that now incorporates a pair of LED strips. The trend of aggression then continues down the side of the BRZ with new front fender vent attachments featuring the STI logo, as well as a subtle rear quarter-fender trim piece made from the same gloss black plastic.
Gold 18-inch forged BBS alloy wheels with STI centre caps reminiscent of Scooby rally cars of old are also available as an option within the parts catalogue, in addition to the choice between a subtle rear lip spoiler or a huge carbon fibre wing mounted at the rear of this Japanese sports car.
Speaking of aerodynamic modifications, a rear diffuser extension is to be offered too as part of the STI add-ons, not to mention a row of black roof fins right above the rear window of the BRZ.
Perhaps the more exciting addition round the back of the BRZ however would be the STI sports muffler system that should allow the 2.4 litre naturally aspirated flat-four to release a few more ponies from the 232 that currently exist within the stable, while also simultaneously making a more fruity noise in the process.
Now continuing on matters under the hood, the STI performance parts catalogue to date is still conspicuously lacking any substantive sporty add-ons in this department. There is however a small consolation that comes in the form of a flexible V-bar, which should further increase the BRZ’s rigidity up front for greater handling pleasure.
There has yet been any official word from Subaru as to when these parts will be available for purchase, or whether they will be making it to markets outside of Japan. What is nevertheless more pertinent on the minds of enthusiasts the world over is when will a full-blown STI version of the BRZ arrive?
An STI-badged version of the prior iteration BRZ was incidentally launched exclusively for the Japan market back in 2017, but it featured no extra power than the standard model. So is Subaru poised to continue on with this tradition for this new car? Or can we expect to finally see hot versions of the Toyobaru twins down the line?
