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2015 Subaru WRX STI headed for Detroit, more WRX details leaked

The debuts of the 2015 Subaru WRX and the Legacy Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week are kind of hogging the Subaru spotlight, making it easy to forget that there is a more potent, more aggressive version of the small sedan waiting in the wings. And based on a rumor from Australia, we'll see the sportier WRX STI at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The report comes from Motoring in Australia, which claims that a more potent version of the WRX will make its debut in the Motor City, and that it will do so with an even 300 horsepower (five fewer than the current STI) and 290 pound-feet of torque (identical to the current car). Aside from the more potent 2.5-liter turbocharged flat four, the STI should boast the regular spread of aesthetic upgrades and suspension, brake, chassis and transmission tweaks.
The standard all-wheel-drive WRX will sprint to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Watch Higgins' mind-blowing Subaru WRX STI Isle of Man record lap in first-person

Have you gotten sick of Subaru and the Isle of Man? Good, we'd hope not, because of all the videos we've posted so far, today's is the crown jewel. In-car, around the notoriously treacherous race track, with commentary from David Higgins himself.
It gets better, though. Overlaid with the video is the same biometric data that we showed you last week. The result is a heart-pumping, 22-minute video of the record-breaking sprint around the entirety of the Isle of Man TT circuit at a truly wild pace. Higgins commentary, meanwhile, simply adds to the experience of hurtling across the landscape. Subaru has also put together a second video, highlighting the WRX STI that was used in the lap.
You can view both of those videos, as well as a short press release from Subaru, below. Scroll down and take a look.

2013 Subaru WRX STI Special Edition

Despite my best efforts to convince myself otherwise, I think I'm finally getting too old for this car. I remember the days when I would go ga-ga over the winged Subaru WRX STI sedan, my inner boy racer caring only about its turbo thrills and not taking into account things like price, packaging or interior quality/comfort. Even now, as someone who generally appreciates offbeat color choices, I'm having a hard time getting behind the Tangerine Orange paint of this Special Edition tester, a unique version of the STI sedan limited to just 100 cars. (West Coast Editor Michael Harley recently spent time in the Special Edition WRX sedan, which will see a production run of 200 units.)
To give it The Full Halloween, this limited-edition Subie comes with black accents on its mirrors and fender badges, not to mention black alloy wheels and special graphics on the rocker panels. Special Edition cars also come standard with foglights, and there are orange accents found throughout the interior. All in, this flashier Subaru will set you back $34,795 plus $700 for destination, or $500 more than the standard version.
No, $35,000 isn't chump change, and many will argue that there are far better vehicles to be had at that exact same price point. And while my aging brain is beginning to think more toward that side of the rational thought spectrum, there's still a lot about this car that makes my more youthful self endlessly happy.