It's still early in 2012, but we've already got a frontrunner for our favorite feature of 2012, the Car Collection of WRC Legend Juha Kankkunen.It isn't simply that he has one of the most shockingly, jaw-droppingly awesome car collections we've ever heard about, but that this was the first time anyone was allowed to go inside with a camera. Epic doesn't begin to describe it.
That got us thinking about other Rally drivers and the cars they master on the roads which made us think of this video of Petter Solberg walking you through his garage. It's not a fantastic display garage and it isn't nearly as upsettingly perfect as Juha's, but it is a chance to see what Petter drives (you won't see his 911 GT3 RS -- it's in Monaco) and hear some stories about the cars and Petter's adventure. Camera work is...poor.
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Categories: Celebrities,Motorsports,Subaru
Sometimes merely getting there is not enough; you want to get there really, really quickly. After all, there's nothing like the thrill you get from a car that leaps off the line.
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Categories: Chrysler,Dodge,Ford,Mitsubishi,Subaru
It should come as no surprise to anybody who's been paying attention to the auto show scene this year that Subaru is planning on bringing the BRZ to the Tokyo Auto Show. The theme for Subaru this year is "Proud of BOXER" and will "showcase through Subaru's unique products the Subaru's efforts to integrate enjoyable and reliable driving provided by the Horizontally-Opposed Boxer Engine."
The first vehicle they'll be bringing is, of course, the BRZ STI Concept. Major equipment includes a carbon fiber hood, STI front under spoiler, STI trunk spoiler, STI muffler, STI flexible tower bar, STI springs, Brembo brakes, Bilstein dampers and 18-inch STI aluminum wheels.
The next concept with BRZ badging will be the BRZ Black Edition by PROVA. No further details were provided on this tuner special.
Subaru Also announced that they will be live-streaming the booth on Ustream for those who can't make it to Tokyo this January.
Categories: Sports Cars,Subaru,Tuners and Modifications
When you're driving through inches and inches of snow, assistance can be useful, and all-wheel drive provides exactly that. This system sends power to all four wheels, providing traction that can mean the difference between an uneventful ride home and getting stuck in the sludge.
All-wheel drive can be useful on clear pavement at well, as it can serve to improve traction in corners. If you're thinking sedans, you'll be happy to know that there are choices on the market that are both snow-friendly and a blast to drive.
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Infiniti,Mitsubishi,Porsche,Subaru
It was just a couple of days ago that we caught our first real look at the Subaru BRZ GT racer. In a word: awesome.
Seeing it on the track though? Awesomer. This thing looks -- and sounds -- mean.
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Categories: Motorsports,Subaru,Videos
Subaru went out of its way to give the new BRZ a very low center of gravity. Most of the work went into getting the new 2.0-liter flat four engine mounted as far down in the engine bay as possible. Various tricks were used along the way such as mounting the power steering box up on the column instead of down on the rack and repositioning the battery to the rear of the engine.
The result is what you see here, which is nothing. The top of the intake is barely visible until you look from the front. And where will they put that turbocharger when the time comes? Well, just head over to Jay's post where he puts forth his educated guess on the situation.
Categories: Coupes,Sports Cars,Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
I spotted two engine displays of note in Subaru's booth and thought I'd share, as this is the first time we've seen these up close.
The first is the normally aspirated 2.0-liter boxer found in the Toyobaru twins (BRZ and 86/FR-S), and the second is the direct-injected, turbocharged 1.6-liter "Boxer DIT" that's going into... well, Subaru's not yet saying exactly which model. In the guise shown here, the 1.6 turbo appears set to reside in various Impreza-based offerings.
Although the company "has no plans" to place a turbo boxer in the BRZ, it doesn't take much imagination to envision the Boxer DIT slotting in neatly where the 2.0 aspro mill resides.
Decide for yourself after the jump.
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Categories: Car Tech,Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
Huzzah! The obligatory video of the production Subaru BRZ in motion is finally here.
You should probably mute it, though. Some production nerd thought that the boxer soundtrack was insufficient and decided to overlay some sort of indie soundtrack.
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Categories: Coupes,Sports Cars,Subaru
There isn't much more to say about this Subaru BRZ. It's was built to compete in Japan's Super GT series and it looks as tough as any racecar we've ever seen. Nice work, Subaru.
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Categories: Coupes,Motorsports,Sports Cars,Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
Have you heard enough about the Subaru BRZ yet? No? Good, 'cause we packed into the Subaru press conference today in Tokyo for the first "official" look at the new sport coupe.
There were no real surprises here. We've told you all about this car before, so this was just an opportunity to see the car in all its WR Blue Pearl II glory. It's actually quite sharp in person and the proportions all look dead on. Interior looks pretty solid, too. Not much more to say about it until we actually drive it. That comes later this week, stay tuned.
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Categories: Coupes,Sports Cars,Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
After what seems like decades of teasing, the Subaru BRZ and its kissing-cousin, the 86 have finally been revealed just hours before the 2011 Tokyo Motor show.
Like the Toyota version, the Subaru BRZ gets a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter direct-injection boxer four with 197 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. So much for those earlier reports that the Subaru version would get more sauce, we didn't really buy it anyway. Transmission options are six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The BRZ rides on 215/45R17 tires and weighs in at 2,689 pounds.
The BRZ also gets a digital speedometer -- the 86 has a digital readout, but also a real speedometer -- a sport steering wheel and paddle shifters on cars equipped with the automatic.
So which will it be? Toyota or Subaru? I've got to say that while I'm not surprised, it looks exacctly how we'd expect it to from the concepts we've seen, I am disappointed. I was hoping they'd pull something out at the last minute that would differentiate this from the 86 by more than a grille and a fender vent. GM in the 90s did far better badge engineering jobs than this.
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Categories: Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
In the next two weeks Inside Line will drive both the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ and all the waiting, the buildup and hype will come crashing down in two stories we hardly need the cars to write.
Meanwhile, here are two more videos...
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Categories: Scion,Subaru,Toyota
Subaru formally unveiled the BRZ Concept STI, a near-production-ready version of its new rear-wheel-drive, boxer-engined sport coupe, here at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Find out why Alistair is our very own David Attenborough of the automotive kingdom after the jump.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Subaru,Videos
Finally! The long wait is over! Subaru finally showed, in the metal, the BRZ in its final produc -- wait, what? No, scratch that, this is the concept version of Subaru's long-awaited 2+2 sports car. Of course, this concept is really the production BRZ with a few bits and baubs tacked on.
Semantics aside, the BRZ looks terrific in three dimensions. The proportions, the level of aggression, all of it. I see hints of WRX STI in the flares, some MkIV Supra in the nose, and the car's compactness and tidiness recall the FD RX-7. Hell, even the tacked-on wing works, though that's surely an affectation only for the concept car. Same goes for the carbon-fiber roof and sideview cameras -- not going to find their way onto the production BRZ.
Look past that stuff and there's still a right-size car underneath, one whose power flows to the correct end of the vehicle. Also of note is that this car has a slightly staggered tire fitment -- 18s with 215/45 in front and 225/45 out back.
You know the rest already. Normally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-4, Toyota's D-4S direct injection, a limited-slip diff. More info on the BRZ Concept STI and studio photos here.
The production BRZ will be shown at the Tokyo auto show in a few weeks, and it'll reach the U.S. next spring. In the meantime, please enjoy the fresh and frisky photos of the BRZ Concept STI taken from the show floor. They're after the jump.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Subaru
We're just a few hours from the in-person release of the Subaru BRZ Concept STI here at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, but Subaru has already let fly with official images and some details on everyone's favorite why-the-hell-isn't-it-out-already rear-drive coupe. So, technically, this is a concept based on a concept. Inception? Yo dawg I heard you like concepts so....?
According to the press release, the team focused on "pure handling delight" with the BRZ Concept STI, "by making full use of the horizontally opposed boxer."
There are STI touches -- wheels, quad pipes, fender flares, diffuser -- a lower front spoiler hanging off the hexagonal grille and a silly rear wing that Subaru swears adds downforce to keep the car going in a straight line at high speeds.
We also have a carbon-fiber roof here which, combined with the already super-low center of gravity should make for a more tossable car.
Subaru doesn't go into performance detail on the 2.0-liter boxer, but it does say it has a square bore of 86mm-by-86mm.
It's 166.5 inches long, 71 inches wide, 50 inches high and has a 101-inch wheelbase. Tires are 215/45R18 up front and 225/45R18 out back.
Look for real shots from the show floor later today.
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Categories: Concept Vehicles,Coupes,Sports Cars,Subaru
We were all expecting the production version of the Subaru BRZ to be shown at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show. Despite the Gazoo Racing FRS we saw prepping for a race at the Nurburgring, we didn't expect a Super GT version of the Subaru BRZ.
Our Japanese isn't up to snuff, so we relied on Google to do the translating of a statement by Subaru's Hiroyuki Karamatsu , "FR-new compact sports car jointly developed by Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries "SUBARU BRZ" produced a racing car based, SUPER GT 2012 GT300 Class Series is promoting a plan to race on. Aims to meet the expectations of Subaru fans are expected to compete with the R&D SPORT BOXER-FR infuses the expertise gained in that race than LEGACY B4 2009."
We'll get more in Tokyo, but for now we know that the rear-drive BRZ will compete in the GT300 class where Subaru currently fields an AWD Legacy B4.
Legacy GT300 highlight video after the jump.
(Subaru -- Google translated)
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Categories: Coupes,Future Vehicles,Motorsports,Sports Cars,Subaru
Oh good, the 2013 Subaru BRZ will have headlights, foglights and some LEDs.
GET ON WITH IT AND SHOW US THE REAL CAR.
Categories: Subaru,Tokyo Motor Show
Now that Subaru has released illustrations of the BRZ Concept STI it will show later this month at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, it's imperative that we compare them with the leaked photos of the Scion FR-S/Toyota FT-86 and make snap judgments.
I'll start: The BRZ is going to escape the injustice of clear-lens taillights, but it might suffer the indignity of tacked-on side vents. The BRZ also has a trapezoidal lower-fascia maw, but it's a wider, flipped version of the one on the FR-S/FT-86.
Oh, and what's with the STI-inspired go-fasterish bits on a "car" with a naturally-aspirated "engine"? Well, the press release has this to offer: "Combined with motifs of Subaru's iconic performance brand "STI," the concept car embodies an ultimate handling performance." Even it isn't exactly that, we've seen plenty of STI cosmetic packages on Subarus sitting in dealer showrooms in Japan, so we'll hold off on calling the quad tips disingenous.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Sports Cars,Subaru,Toyota
After years of speculation, spy photos and concepts, it appears that the final version of the Toyota FT-86 / Scion FR-S has been leaked by Toyota's in-house customization department, Modellista. But before we put too much into this image, remember that this is a Modellista leak and that things like the wheels, chrome accent strips, big exhaust and the pseudo canards up front could all be aftermarket pieces.
Beyond that, though, this looks to be a much more production friendly version of the concept we saw in New York.
The big surprise here is the interior which appears driver-focused and cool and reminds us in all of the good ways of a Mazda interior. There's also a central mounted tach and an LFA-inspired steering wheel.
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Categories: Scion,Subaru,Toyota
We're just about a month away from the Tokyo Auto Show where we're expecting to get the full scoop on both the Toyota FR-S and the Subaru BRZ, but for now, the rumor mill is the best we can hope for. Thankfully the mill is still churning at a decent pace.
The most recent item to pop up is from Autocar. The British mag is reporting that the 2.0-liter boxer engine will be calibrated differently by each manufacturer. While Subaru has done the bulk of the engineering, Toyota has worked on the direct-injection, each company is tuning the ECU differently and producing different power outputs. One of them seems highly optimistic.
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Categories: Sports Cars,Subaru
