The new Subaru BRZ embodies ultimate passion for the new sports car and confidence in its distinctive trademark and core technology: The ‘Horizontally-Opposed Subaru Boxer engine’”, as the automaker said just days before the Frankfurt Motor Show opened its gates.
Subaru has been responsible for the rear-wheel drive sports car's engine and running gear, while Toyota took over the styling. So power comes from a two-litre Subaru-based boxer four with Toyota direct fuel-injection, developing about 150kW and driving through either a six-speed manual or six-speed auto tranny.
Sorry Scooby fans, there won't be an all-wheel drive model behind a Southern Cross badge.
Outside the US the Toyota FT-86 II and Subaru BRZ will be identical except for their front plastic and badging.
Unfortunately, there is an odd twist to this story as Subaru has stated that when the Subaru BRZ Concept debuts in LA, it will not wear any of the body panels destined for the production version of the sports coupe. Turns out that there is an agreement between Toyota and Subaru in this joint sports car development that neither will show any production-ready body panels until both companies debut their own versions at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, so at the LA show we can expect to see the Subaru BRZ wearing some uber aggressive skin that won’t be included in the production version later this year.
When the Subaru BRZ makes it concept debut at the 2011 LA Auto Show, we can expect it to feature the 2.0L, 200 horsepower Boxer engine mated to a 6-speed transmission and a rare rear wheel drive application. There is also speculation that the new Subaru BRZ Concept debuting in the skin at the LA Auto Show will sport the brand’s high performance STi badging.
