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Toyota 86 most likely to get more power through more displacement? [w/poll]

The Sydney Morning Herald has spoken to Tetsuya Tada, chief engineer of the Toyota 86 (our version of it, the Scion FR-S, is pictured above), and they've been promised that more power is on the way. We've heard a lot of speculation about a more powerful Toyobaru since before the standard model was even launched. The only question now is how the power will be delivered, and among the engine concepts we've already heard about - turbo, supercharger, twin-charged, hybrid - is a new one: more displacement.
Tada said that an engine with more displacement than the current coupe's 2.0 liters is being tested alongside a turbocharged and a hybrid-assisted motor. The SMH cites "inside sources" as saying the displacement option is the one likely to get the go-ahead, and suggests increased bore and stroke will see the engine grow to 2.5 liters, horsepower to about 250 - a 50-hp increase over the present car.
While that's apparently the betting man's solution for the long-awaited increase in gumption, what happens with the next generation could be more wide open than we suspected. According to the report, Tada "hinted that [a successor] could be a radically different car, potentially dropping the boxer engine altogether." He said once they've sorted out the concept for the second generation car, then they'll sort out an engine. That's where a turbo option could come to market, perhaps the turbocharged four-cylinder Toyota is developing for the Lexus NX crossover or a hybrid system that uses a capacitor.

This Irishman really likes the Toyota GT86

Okay, okay - by this point in time just liking the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, what have you) doesn't make you special. Even if you're a sort of funny sounding, funny looking Irishman, who probably isn't the most seasoned car reviewer ever, digging the GT86 is not news.
However, if, when you choose to publish your ten-minute-long review, you include exclamatory phrases about your own pubic hair, Ozzy Osborne's drug habit and "gentleman vegetable stuff," well sir, then you'll have our attention.
Don't give up on this video, available down below, after the first couple of minutes, we implore you. The silver-tongued Irishman doesn't really get warmed up until four minutes in, or so. Believe us, it's worth the wait.

Subaru STI Performance Concept previews a bright BRZ future [w/video]

Subaru unveiled its STI Performance Concept car today at the New York Auto Show, a BRZ-based corner carver that says as much about the future of STI in America as it does about the future of the BRZ. And while this marks the world's first official look at the STI concept, Subaru gave me a preview of the car, and a long description of its significance, on a trip to Japan last month. The Performance Concept sends a tangible message about the motorsports heritage and engineering capability of Subaru Tecnica International. STI started life as the motorsports arm of Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries. Appropriately, the concept car uses a racing powerplant. Under the hood is the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter boxer-four that powers the BRZ GT300 from Japan's Super GT series, estimated at around 300 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. But the STI concept is more like the ultimate road version of the BRZ instead of a recapitulation of an existing racecar. Chassis, suspension and braking components can all be found on the Japanese Domestic Market's road-going BRZ tS, for instance. Subaru invited me to drive the tS on that same trip, so stay tuned for a report on that experience later this week. It will pain Subaru fans to hear that this concept is not a defacto preview of a forthcoming turbocharged BRZ STI, at least not in the immediate future. STI has been charged with expanding its presence and reach in the North American market, but the process is going to roll out slowly without jumping straight to a fully realized production vehicle. Stage one of the STI expansion will be a consolidation of parts and aftermarket support in the US. Subaru has offered a pastiche of performance products through its dealerships up to today, including the US-only Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) parts. In the near term, the company will phase out SPT in favor of STI parts and accessories, meaning you'll be able to purchase a lot of the stuff that the Japanese market has today. And we're talking about parts that actually impact performance, not just STI-badged shift-lever knobs or gas caps. The STI Performance Concept does show that Subaru sees a future for its rear-drive coupe in the American market, and that it wants to cater to enthusiasts. Stage two, which will happen in roughly the next year and a half, is to bring an STI-tuned version of the BRZ to the US, not unlike the JDM BRZ tS.