Subaru teases BRZ STI on social media

Subaru has teased a high-performance ‘STI’ version of its BRZ sports car.

The Japanese car manufacturer shared an image of a prominent carbon-fibre rear spoiler on Twitter with the caption: “Stay tuned… 6/8/17. #STI.”

STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International and denotes the company’s performance division. Currently, the only other model in Subaru’s range to wear the badge is the WRX STI – a high-performance four-door saloon.

Details are scarce right now, but the spoiler in the image appears to be made of carbon-fibre, a lightweight material used extensively in performance cars. It is unclear whether Subaru is simply preparing to announce a new range of parts for the car or if it’s a separate model.

Ever since the Subaru BRZ – and Toyota GT86 with which it shares an engine and chassis – were launched in 2012, car enthusiasts have urged the respective companies to add more power.

The standard cars produce 197bhp from a 2.0-litre Subaru-derived engine, with both brands continually resisting calls for a boost in performance.

However, in April, Toyota revealed that it wanted to expand its new Gazoo Racing Masters of Nurburgring (GRMN) performance division.

When asked if that would include a go-faster GT86, Toyota product manager Neil Spires told the Press Association: “Let’s hope so. I’d be really disappointed if we don’t see Gazoo Racing not only on our sports cars, but also on our core models. Why do it, otherwise?”

Because the companies have worked so closely since the models were released, it could be a sign that they have agreed to release performance versions of both cars at around the same time.

Because the original tweet was shared via the Subaru America Twitter account, we can expect the reveal date to refer to June 8 2017.