Subaru BRZ Concept STI teases production BRZ at L.A.

Subaru has taken the BRZ Concept STI to the Los Angeles Auto Show, just weeks before the production BRZ debuts at Tokyo.

The Subaru BRZ (and for that matter its sibling, the Toyota FT-86) has been floating around in one form or another as a concept for years. And at Los Angeles we get treated to yet another ‘Concept’ version – the Subaru BRZ Concept STI.

Which does seem a bit odd; after all, the production version of the BRZ is scheduled to arrive later this month at the Tokyo Motor Show, and we know from the teaser shots Subaru sent us of the production BRZ that there are changes from this Concept.

Still, the changes aren’t going to be drastic, so the Concept STI gives us a good look at what the BRZ could look like if you buy all the bolt-on, go-faster STI goodies Subaru are likely to offer on the options list.

What we do get to know from the BRZ STI Concept is that the engine in the Subaru version of the FT-86 is a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder Horizontally-Opposed Boxer lump sitting low and well back, which means a very low centre of gravity.

With Subaru’s penchant for forced induction we had mooted the possibility that Subaru were going to stick a turbo on the BRZ to yield the ‘less than 300bhp’ they have claimed for the BRZ – as opposed to the 200bhp in the FT-86.

We’re obviously going to have to wait for Tokyo to find out exactly what sort of power the Boxer engine manages in the BRZ without the benefit of a turbo. But if it turns out to be the same 200bhp as the FT-86 there will be a lot of disappointed potential buyers.

Won’t be long.