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Sabre wrote:If it does have near 300HP NA, that might put it's power to weight ratio at something I could believe in...

zaxrex wrote:If what we have read so far is true that the engine will be the same with just a remapped ECU, I don't see a 50% increase in power w/o some huffing and puffing. But then you would have to change the crank/andor/rods/andor/pistons, at that point, it is no longer the same engine.

Something has got to give.

Subaru is set to debut the BRZ sports car at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, but it's going to tease us one more time in two weeks at the Los Angeles Auto Show with the BRZ Concept - STI.

This BRZ Concept - STI is the first time that we're actually seeing a full concept version of Subaru's new rear-wheel-drive coupe, we've only seen concepts of the FT-86 and Scion FR-S. The overall design is very similar to Toyota's version, although it gets a different rear end with a large rear wing. The concept is painted in Subaru's "WR Blue Pearl II," which is a new generation of the iconic WR blue paint scheme that has been used on production STI's.

Although the concept basically shows off what an STI version of the BRZ could be like, it unfortunately doesn't have any more power under the hood than the standard engine that will power the BRZ. It's still got the naturally-aspirated 2.0L boxer engine. The BRZ Concept - STI features an STI-tuned suspension, Brembo brakes and unique 18-inch wheels and tires.

Come back in two weeks to see all the photos from the show.

The target curb weight was 2800 pounds, distributed with a slight bias toward the front axle. Even so, the handling benchmark was the mid-engine Porsche Cayman (which has a 45/55 weight split), and Masuda says the AS1’s center of gravity is 17.7 inches high, one inch lower than a Cayman’s.

The price target was the toughest of them all, says Masuda. The base sticker is expected to land at about $28,000. At that price, the engineering team had to resist the allure of weight-saving materials and turbos. “The goal was to keep it basic and make it a real handling car,” says Masuda. “Horsepower was not our focus. If you want horsepower, we have the STI.”

On paper, the AS1 is a relatively straightforward engineering set piece that belies the tough bogeys Subaru set for itself. The target curb weight was 2800 pounds, distributed with a slight bias toward the front axle. Even so, the handling benchmark was the mid-engine Porsche Cayman (which has a 45/55 weight split), and Masuda says the AS1’s center of gravity is 17.7 inches high, one inch lower than a Cayman’s.

The price target was the toughest of them all, says Masuda. The base sticker is expected to land at about $28,000. At that price, the engineering team had to resist the allure of weight-saving materials and turbos. “The goal was to keep it basic and make it a real handling car,” says Masuda. “Horsepower was not our focus. If you want horsepower, we have the STI.”

Masuda acknowledges that the platform will accept more power, but based on our sampling, it doesn’t need it. The BRZ prototype we drove embodies what Masuda and Hirakawa say they were aiming for: a rigid, shake-free platform that translates your driving impulses into instant kinetic action. The prototype felt spry and light-footed, beelining into bends with fingertip control through direct and reactive steering. That is, after deep-biting and progressive brakes have scrubbed excess speed. Both ends of the AS1 stayed stuck in high corner speeds, and when grip eventually overheated into slip, the car oozed gently between states.

The BRZ feels more like a joint venture between Subaru and Lotus than a collaboration with Camrys-By-The-Billions, Ltd.

Mr Kleen wrote:because of modern emissions standards.

PGT wrote:time will tell, I guess.

zaxrex wrote:I want a BRZ.
I need a diesel.