Subaru has established a new department to focus on future sports cars, but its first project is set for competition rather than the road.
Last week, Subaru announced that from April 1, it’ll open a new ‘Sports Vehicle Planning Office’, one of its sub-departments of the wider Product and Portfolio Innovation Division.
At the Super Taikyu Series race at Motegi, it previewed what will be the first vehicle from this new department, with Japanese publication Car Watch uploading an image from the presentation online.
Based on the Subaru BRZ, the new model will be powered by a turbocharged flat-four engine and adopt an all-wheel drive system, essentially the same powertrain as what’s found in the WRX sedan, rather than the BRZ’s existing naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive setup.
スバル、全日本ラリーにBRZベースのターボ4WDを投入 ドライバーは新井敏弘選手 https://t.co/xUCERzc9Eg #スバル #BRZ #4WDターボ pic.twitter.com/EAsJdOWp6h
— Car Watch (@car_watch) March 21, 2026
However, this won’t become a road car just yet, with Subaru planning to launch it in the All Japan Rally Championship this year, where it’ll be driven by Toshihiro Arai, who has previously started in WRC events and won the PWRC title twice.
There’s no word yet on whether the all-wheel drive and turbocharged BRZ will reach production, as it’s likely to feature comprehensive mechanical changes to allow it to compete in the rally championship, which may be prohibitive for a road car.
These include the relatively low height of the BRZ and packaging constraints of the all-wheel drive system, which in the larger WRX is less of a concern.
Regardless, it is the second turbocharged racing model which Subaru has revealed in the past year, after the Hyper Performance X2 – the brand’s competitor in the Super Taikyu Series – was unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January.
Based on the Impreza hatchback but leaning heavily on the Performance-B STI Concept from last year, the racer also features the turbocharged 2.4-litre boxer engine from the WRX, as well as a wide stance and aggressive rear wing.
While not badged or competing as a WRX, all other vehicles in its Super Taikyu class are based on production models.
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