Subaru reveals BRZ STI Sport Type RA for Japan
The special Subarus we used to crave were Imprezas - now the BRZ takes on that mantle in style
Subaru has a rich history of cars with bizarre names that are extraordinary to drive and reserved just for its domestic market. So much so, in fact, that folk outside Japan will go to considerable effort and expense to get one out of the country. The classifieds are crammed with Spec Cs, Version VI Limiteds, S204s and the like, because people love them. Hopefully the same will be true one day of the BRZ STI Sport Type RA - because it sounds absolutely fantastic.
There will only ever be 300 of them, so it’s going to be an extremely rare sight even where it is sold; 200 will be without the rear spoiler and 100 will be with. You just know everyone will want the wing, evoking as it does the very silliest Subarus of days gone by. Underneath the Record Attempt is where things get really interesting, though, the BRZ borrowing from the Super Taikyu race car for some proper motorsport feel on the street.
See the RA doesn’t get like a bucket seat or some stickers to make it like a competition car. The FA24 2.4-litre has been totally overhauled in very methodical fashion, aiming to achieve ‘the same level of rotational precision as a race car.’ Look, there’s a ‘Balanced Boxer’ badge and everything. So the pistons and rods are new, offering a ‘50 per cent reduction in weight tolerance’; similarly the crank boasts an 80 per cent reduction in ‘rotational balance tolerance’. The clutch over is half as light as standard and the flywheel sheds two thirds of its weight compared to a regular BRZ; it all points to a zingy, fizzy flat four that’ll only be too happy to rev. An even better complement for the fantastic rear drive chassis, hopefully.
The RA BRZ also benefits from flat shift and rev matching technology, just in case the engine’s new-found effervescence is tricky to judge. Subaru says this is another tech transfer from racing, eliminating ‘the need for complex heel-and-toe maneuvers, allowing the driver to concentrate on braking, resulting in stable handling that translates into greater speed.’ As might be expected given the look and the name, the STI RA is kitted out for pretty serious track driving, complete with cooling fins for the diff, additional stiffening underneath and ZF dampers at both axles.
Plus the BRZ looks cool, and that’s very important for a special edition Subaru. Even those without the rear spoiler get subtle STI add-ons, BBS wheels (though bronze only comes with the wing) and new badges. We’re yet to see a BRZ that looks bad, quite frankly, but effort to make it even better is surely to be applauded. Not so long ago it was STI Imprezas made to look like the rally car; now it’s STI BRZs to look like touring cars, and that appears to be a great upgrade.
As is also limited edition Subaru tradition, buyers will be allocated a build slot via a lottery, with customers in Japan able to put their name in the draw until the end of November. For a standard STI Sport Type RA, Subaru is asking 4,972,000 yen, or just £24,500 at current exchange rates. The RA everyone will want is 5,478,000, or a little less than £27,000. So there’ll already be a glut of willing suitors before the RA is shown at this weekend’s Fuji finale for Super Taikyu. The lucky soandsos. But let’s not be too despondent: if a pair of Yaris GRMNs can find their way to the UK already, then there’s surely hope for a Record Attempt as well at some point. Just be prepared to pay more than £27,000 if that day comes…
RA was generally thought to be the abbreviation of ‘Race Applicant’ on Imprezas, as those models were chosen as the base for competition cars.
Are they just using it as a nod to the past here, as it seems to be a special edition as opposed to the pared back, lightweight models that they were back in the day…
RA was generally thought to be the abbreviation of Race Applicant on Imprezas, as those models were chosen as the base for competition cars.
Are they just using it as a nod to the past here, as it seems to be a special edition as opposed to the pared back, lightweight models that they were back in the day
I'd definitely take one without the wing - it isn't ever going to be travelling fast enough the need it!
The standard car (GR86 only in the U.K.) is a lovely thing, it’s a kind of recreation of the Porsche 944 or 240Z for the current day - modern but also kind of old fashioned at the same time, and all the better for it.
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