Subaru’s Next Off-Roader Could Come from a Very Unexpected Place

Subaru may be looking to elevate its sports car game even more, quite literally. A recent photo surfaced of what appears to be a BRZ that’s been outfitted to tackle unpaved roads.

Except, it’s not the result of a janky project done up in someone’s shade-tree garage. Rather, it’s the result of Subaru’s latest venture, and it’s called the Sports Vehicle Planning Office.

If there was any immediate takeaway, it sounds like Subaru’s on a quest to make more fun cars again. We’re all for it.

The BRZ is going rallying

The BRZ in question surfaced during a media event announcing the Sports Vehicle Planning Office in Japan. In the same breath, Subaru also announced its return to the All Japan Rally Championship, a regional event that’s also sanctioned by the FIA World Rally Championship.

There, Subaru will once again be competing in the motorsport that helped the brand rise to global prominence and popularity, especially among car enthusiasts.

But rather than enter the event with a conventional WRX STI, Subaru is apparently looking to compete with a purpose-built and modified BRZ. And that’s the model seen in the presentation.

CarWatch via X

Not many details are available. But word has it the rally-ified BRZ features a turbocharged motor, raised and upgraded suspension to handle the rough trails, chassis reinforcements, widened wheel wells to make room for the equally wider axle tracks and beefier performance off-road tires, and more.

You can also most certainly bet the rally BRZ has all-wheel drive, rather than the car’s conventional rear-drive setup.

Subaru Technica International

While it may be a racecar, it’s the sort of BRZ that Subaru enthusiasts dream of. All the more so because of the turbocharged motor.

But could it also signal a potential effort to try and win over the lifted sports car niche lovers?

Lifted sports cars are a real thing

Lamborghini

With Subaru being so public about its return to form, producing affordable sports cars with its push to revive production STI models, this rally BRZ could also be another sign of the brand testing the waters.

Automakers realized that a growing niche exists, where engineers add lift kits and beefier tires to cars otherwise reserved for the pavement. And the results are epic.

Porsche

For instance, Lamborghini gave us the off-road Huracán Sterrato. Porsche also did the same with its 911 Dakar, which was also a tribute to the original rally-bred 911s that conquered many rally races throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

While both have been largely unattainable (unless you have some deep pockets), Subaru could be making a much more accessible equivalent out of its BRZ.

Subaru’s going back to its performance roots

Subaru

The rally-modified BRZ competing in the upcoming Rally Japan may not be an official confirmation of a production model. But it speaks for Subaru’s ambitions in volume.

That’s because Subaru became world-famous after dominating the Group A and World Rally Car eras of the WRC with its Impreza-based WRX STI. It’s also was a part of one of automotive history’s greatest rivals, featuring the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Subaru USA

Subaru most certainly owes its popularity and heritage to its motorsports history. After the brand cancelled all of its motorsports efforts amid the 2008 financial crisis, its sports car offerings suffered to a degree as well.

With Subaru once again reentering motorsports, and with the brand pushing for more production STI models, things have never been brighter for sports car fans and driving enthusiasts.

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