Secret Subaru WRX And BRZ Specials Are Coming This Weekend

Subaru has a new pair of limited-production performance cars coming this weekend. Before you get too excited, just know that this doesn’t appear to be a true return to STI form. Instead, the brand appears eager to recapture as much of that old magic as it can, and it’s starting with at least one gigantic wing. The automaker says new “enthusiast-focused” versions of the 2027 WRX and BRZ will debut at Boxerfest on September 27.

Details are remarkably thin, but Subaru did include one rather revealing photo. Look closely, and you’ll spot a tS badge on the back of the WRX, along with a rear wing roughly the size of a park bench. That means we’re almost certainly looking at a limited-production version of the WRX tS rather than some surprise resurrection of the WRX STI. And that’s both exciting and a little frustrating.

Read: New Subaru Patents Fuel STI Hatchback Rumors

First, let’s define what we know for sure. These two enthusiast-focused special edition models are based on the WRX and the BRZ. Subaru says production numbers will be limited, and the teaser image doesn’t give us much to go on other than that spoiler on the back of a WRX. As a refresher, the current WRX tS comes with STI-tuned electronically controlled dampers, Brembo brakes, Recaro seats, 19-inch wheels, and other chassis upgrades.

The problem is that none of those upgrades do anything about what’s under the hood. The current WRX tS uses the same turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four as the rest of the lineup, producing 271 hp (202 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. That’s hardly slow, but it’s also difficult to call exceptional in today’s performance-car landscape.

That’s especially true when you remember what made the WRX and STI such enthusiast darlings in the first place. They punched above their weight. A relatively affordable Subaru could show up with turbocharged power, all-wheel drive, serious hardware, and enough pace to make considerably more expensive machinery feel really uncomfortable on a twisty road.

Today, the competition has caught up and, in some cases, blown right past it. The Toyota GR Corolla makes 300 hp (224 kW), while the Honda Civic Type R pumps out 315 hp (235 kW). Volkswagen’s latest Golf R is good for 328 hp (245 kW). Meanwhile, Subaru’s hottest American WRX remains stuck at 271 horses. A gigantic wing is cool. More power would be cooler.

The BRZ Might Have More Up It’s Sleeve

Interestingly, the BRZ gives us a little more room for speculation. Subaru already sells a considerably more serious version in Japan called the BRZ STI Sport Type RA, and it’s not simply a collection of badges and trim pieces. The Type RA receives specially selected and balanced engine components, including pistons and connecting rods, crankshaft, flywheel, and clutch cover.

The result isn’t a dramatic horsepower increase, but Subaru says the attention to tolerances improves engine response and smoothness at high revs. It also gets ZF dampers, Brembo brakes, BBS wheels, STI chassis components, and other performance upgrades. There’s even a version with a huge dry-carbon rear wing developed through Subaru’s Super Taikyu racing program.

To be clear, Subaru hasn’t said the American car is a Type RA, and there’s no guarantee we’re getting anything close to it. But it does demonstrate that the company has some genuinely interesting BRZ hardware sitting on the shelf. Hopefully, a great deal of that hardware makes its way into each of these new secret cars. We’ll find out for sure on Sunday at Boxerfest.

Photos: Subaru