Special Subaru WRX, BRZ throw back to peak era
The US division of Subaru is celebrating two of the brand’s enthusiast-led models with anniversary editions of the WRX sedan and BRZ coupe.
It’s a year of anniversary celebrations for Subaru’s US outpost, with the WRX and BRZ both celebrating milestone years – prompting a pair of special-edition models.
Revealed for the US market only, the 2027 WRX and BRZ have been treated to 25-year and 15-year celebratory models, marking how many years they’ve been on sale in the market.
“Our anniversary edition WRX and BRZ models commemorate the iconic performance heritage and successes of both vehicles in the US,” said Subaru of America car line planning manager, William Stokes.
“The WRX GD25 is a tribute to our rally-ready sedan and its sports car pedigree, including the wing it shares with the ARA Championship-winning ARA25L. Similarly, BRZ ZC15 embodies the best of our long-running, accessible performance sports car, right down to its rear wheel-drive engagement.”
For the WRX GD25, the name refers to 25 years since the second-generation Impreza WRX ‘GD’ arrived in the US, most notable from its ‘bugeye’, ‘blobeye’, and ‘hawkeye’ variants.
Finished in the classic Subaru World Rally Blue hue, the WRX GD25 gains 19-inch gold alloy wheels, gold-painted Brembo brake calipers, and Bridgestone Potenza S007 tyres.
On top of this, it gets the dry carbon fiber swan-neck rear wing made by STI, and currently fitted to the American Rally Championship car of Travis Pastrana.
Other enhancements include a strut tower bar and stiffer springs with revised dampers, though there aren’t any changes to its turbocharged 2.4-litre flat-four engine or all-wheel drive system, while it’s only available in six-speed manual guise.
Inside, the cabin gets Recaro seats with black Ultrasuede inserts with red accent stitching, and an STI shift knob coupled to its short-shifter.
In the case of the BRZ, the first-generation ‘ZC’ model landed in the US in 2012, or 15 years prior to the 2027 arrival of the BRZ ZC15.
Painted in an exclusive Ceramic White colour, it is teamed with matte bronze wheels, gold-painted Brembo calipers, and unique bronze decals near the side sills, paying homage to the 2020 BRZ tS.
In addition, there’s a black spoiler on the boot and a V-bar brace under the bonnet, sitting above its 2.4-litre naturally aspirated flat-four engine. Like the WRX, it’s manual-only.
Its cabin has been upholstered in black leather and Bordeaux red, while there sits a numbered plaque in front of its STI aluminum and leather, short shifter.
Deliveries are limited to 350 WRXs and 300 BRZs, expected to launch in the US in 2027. There’s no word yet on whether Australia will follow suit in celebrating model anniversaries.
