Like us you couldn’t make it to the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show either? Fear not as we’ve assembled a variety of images from the show featuring the usual suspects, such as the Toyota 86 and it’s close relative the Subaru BRZ. There’s also the weird and wonderful, too, in the form of the Daihatsu FC Case, the Nissan TOWNPOD, the Suzuki Q-Concept (pictured) and more.
Subaru has given a public debut to two special Impreza WRX STI models at the Tokyo Motor Show—the S206 and S206 NBR Challenge Package (pictured above).
Only available for sale in Japan, and in strictly limited numbers, the S206 duo have been tuned to offer 235kW/431Nm. There will be just 300 S206 models built, which includes a maximum of 100 NBR models. As it happens the NBR Challenge Package—built to honour the company’s success at the Nürburgring 24 hour race—has already reached its maximum, with 100 pre-orders already confirmed by Subaru.
In addition to the engine, suspension and cosmetic mods already introduced to the S206, the NBR adds a carbon fibre roof, adjustable rear spoiler and lightweight 19″ BBS cast aluminium wheels.
It’s a shame these are JDM models only and no surprise the NBR package has already sold out.
“Pure handling delight”, that’s the claim being made by Subaru in this promo clip for the BRZ. They also say the “BRZ is a fun sports car that any driver can enjoy driving with peace of mind.”
Those chasing big horsepower will have to wait until the countless aftermarket tuners do their thing. For now, Subaru are giving you 200hp and a bit over 1200kg to play with.
Will Nick Senior and his mates be foolish enough to deny Australians the chance to join in the Toybaru fun?
Another day and another press release for the Subaru BRZ. This time there’s more pics to give us a better feel for the 147kW/205Nm rear-wheel drive sports coupé. For an even closer look check out the images over at FT86club.com.
Subaru Australia still can’t decide if our market is sophisticated enough to cope with a two-wheel drive Subaru. Perhaps losing sales to Toyota might knock some sense into them.
Details of the production-spec Subaru BRZ have now emerged. For now we only have two pics, but expect more will follow soon. Clearly the standard BRZ is a tamer version of the Concept STi and we wonder how long it will take for someone to make an aftermarket rear light treatment that matches the STi look.
As to be expected it’s a like for like machine under the skin when compared to the Toyota 86. Really it’s just a few cosmetic differences to the bodywork that set these Toybaru cars apart.
Although, it’s worth noting the BRZ is listed as weighing 1220kg. Based on the info we could find yesterday that’s 40kg heavier than the 86.
We’ll bring you more as it comes to hand.
[Thanks to Scott for the tip]
UPDATE 30 November: We asked Subaru Australia if the BRZ would be coming here. This us what they said, “There’s still no decision as to whether BRZ will go to Australia.” If you’d like to see the BRZ down under we suggest you contact Subaru and tell them all about it.
Obviously the Toyota 86 has been gaining attention since its official release. So we thought it worth reminding you about the blue half of the Toybaru project. Here’s a small image gallery of the Subaru BRZ Concept STi, starting with some images from the floor of the LA Motor Show we managed to miss first time round.
Sure it’s the hero STi model, but on this viewing the BRZ has it over the 86 in the looks department.
It’s actually not too long until the BRZ will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. We should be back inside 24 hours with more pics and info as it comes to hand.
After teasing us a couple of weeks ago Subaru has now officially revealed its BRZ Concept-STI. And we’re pleased to say they have made a fine looking car as well; something Subaru hasn’t been too adept at in recent years.
For the moment, though, Subaru is keeping major technical detail for the Tokyo Motor Show and will reveal all towards the end of this month.
They have told us their Toybaru concept has a carbon fibre roof, resulting in “one of the lowest possible centres of gravity compared to other cars on the market today.” The familar blue paintwork is actually not familiar at all, it’s a new-generation colour called WR Blue Pearl II.
Not much else to report for now, but we’ll be back with more in a couple of weeks.
New website FT86club is fast proving to be the go to place for the latest information on the ‘Toybaru’ project. The Toyota–Subaru collaboration has achieved much attention across the globe and especially in the world of internet forums. The climax of that build up will be reached early next month when both cars are revealed in full at the Tokyo Motor Show.
However, the internet stops for noone and more images of the FT-86 have been revealed via a leaked TRD parts catalogue. With today’s release of official BRZ images it gives us the first chance to compare both cars side by side and that’s exactly what we’ve done here.
You can click on the image above for a larger version. When you’ve done that, tell us what you think; which car would you buy?
It takes two to tango when you make an affordable ‘Toybaru’ sportscar. We’ve seen some unofficial material recently for the Toyota FT-86 and now Subaru has given us an official sneak preview of its BRZ Concept STi.
Subaru’s BRZ will premiere at the LA Auto Show in a couple of weeks, meaning it will be the first in the Toybaru project to be officially revealed to the public. Although, the production ready BRZ, like the FT-86, will have a full reveal at the Tokyo Motor Show in December.
Expect the basic specs to match the FT-86, so think around 200hp from the 2.0 litre boxer engine and, of course, a compact rear-wheel drive layout.
It’s a bit hard to tell without seeing the full car, and it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say this about a Sunaru, but we reckon the BRZ has the edge over the FT-86 so far in regards to looks.
UPDATE: Press release from Subaru Australia also added below.
UPDATE #2: New renderings added.
The ‘baru’ part of the ‘Toybaru’ sportscar has just been seen in action at the Nürburgring. Officially called the Subaru BRZ the heavily disguised prototype, unsurprisingly, shares its basic proportions with the Toyota FT-86 II Concept. Although, the Subie does appear to be a little more conservative as far as the front spoiler goes. Hmm, more conservative than Toyota—that can’t be good.
When it goes on sale the BRZ will be the only Subaru on offer that is not all-wheel drive. It will keep a familiar four-cylinder boxer engine layout, which will power the rear wheels.
The BRZ is expected to be revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show in early December. This recent sighting also gives us an opportunity to catch up on some material from Frankfurt which we missed last month and that’s available for you now after the break.
[Source: WCF]
At the Geneva Motor Show in March this year Subaru showed off its ‘BOXER Sports Car Architecture’ (pictured above). But they didn’t really give much else away. Now, they tell us their new rear-wheel drive sportscar will be called the BRZ and a Version II concept will be revealed at Frankfurt next month.
Oh, if you’re wondering, those letters mean: B for Boxer, R for rear-wheel drive and Z for Zenith, of course.
For those playing at home this is the ‘Toybaru’ platform being developed in conjunction with Toyota, who have called their car the FT-86 and we’ve already seen concepts in Australia (Sydney 2010 and Melbourne 2011).
Production of the BRZ will start in the second half of 2012 and a decision on whether it will be sold in Australia will be made later this year. So, fans of all things Subaru, if you want to see this car down under get in touch with your local dealer now and tell them you want in!
Subaru revealed the fourth-generation Impreza for the first time in Australia. Indeed, it was a world premiere for the right-hand drive model. From the outside we think it’s a solid improvement over the current model for sale. Although we acknowledge the bar’s not particularly high there.
While the outside of the new Impreza looks good, especially in wagon/hatch form, the interior is still lagging behind in terms of ergonomics and materials. Other Japanese manufacturers, and even the Koreans, are making progress on this front, so hopefully Subaru gets it right soon.
Mind, the current model Liberty, which has to be the worst looking iteration yet, is selling like hot cakes; so what do we know. Actually, we do know that despite going to the trouble of showing us the new Impreza, Subaru Australia couldn’t muster up a launch date. So, it will be here… soon, we guess.
My mum always said if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. There’s some pictures of the XV Concept.
The race-spec Liberty B4 GT300 looks nice and aggressive, even though it appears to be a replica.