Subaru has produced an even more driver-focused version of the Subaru BRZ for its domestic market called the STI Sport.
Offered exclusively in Japan and revealed at the Tokyo motor show, the car gets a stiffened-up chassis with V-braces and beefed-up rear suspension mount points.
Subaru said the changes make the car more responsive to steering inputs and reduce roll. Sachs dampers with bespoke settings and new 18in wheels have also been added.
The 1250kg car is offered in a unique grey khaki colour that’s limited to 100 units. It also gets a red and black colour scheme inside.
No changes have been made to the car's flat-four boxer engine, so the atmospheric unit puts out the same 197bhp and drives the back wheels through a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.
There are currently no plans to bring the BRZ STI Sport to Europe. The car is on show in Tokyo alongside the WRX STI S208 Special Edition and Viziv concept.
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Could this and the Toyota
Could this and the Toyota version be the most under the radar sports cars available. It’s like nobody at Toyota or Subaru give a monkeys. Maybe this will model create some buzz.
This information is wrong
As of last year, power and torque are up in the Japanese models. Due to emission regulations in Europe, the latest Subaru BRZ in the UK retains the previous engine with 200 ps (197 bhp), and 205 nM (151 lb/ft).
In Japan, the current Subaru BRZ (all models) have 207 ps (204 bhp), and 212 nM (156 lb/ft).
The new STI Sport model that has debuted at the this year's Tokyo Motor Show has 7 bhp and 5 lb/ft more than the UK version.
Low down in the rev range (~1,500-3,500 rpm) torque has increased by up to 10%, which is greater than the increase in peak torque, making driveability and response better. The final drive ratio is shorter too, making it rev more quickly, and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.0 sec, compared to the UK model's 7.2 sec 0-60 time. For those that like 0-100 km/h times, the Japanese model does it in 7.4 sec, and the UK model in 7.6 sec.
Only the cool grey khaki edition is limited to 100 models via a lottery. The new STI Sport model can be purchased in all the other standard colours without limitation.
I really think car journalists should know these things, or at least do some proper research when going to a motor show in another country. Furthermore, the specifications of the cars on display are posted alongside on notice boards. It's not hard to take a quick snapshot before writing an article.