2016 Subaru Wrx Premium on 2040-cars

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UK designer to make WRX Concept-aping body kit for production Subaru

Remember the Subaru WRX Concept shown at the 2013 New York Auto Show, the one almost everyone loved but no one expected Subaru to make? Indeed, that Parnassian "design statement" led to a production design that came from a good middle class neighborhood known for its office parks and pasture land. UK designer Michael Bond is offering to change that, the man behind the yet-to-be-produced Rumbler "Superhero Utility Vehicle" touting the Subaru WRX Concept 13, which would take a customer's new WRX and turn it into something pretty close to the original concept.
That means new front and rear clips, including a redesigned rear diffuser to increase downforce, but a spoiler can be installed if the buyer decides that what he wants. The car won't be an exact replica of the NYIAS concept since that would infringe on Subaru's intellectual property, but it isn't clear yet how the design would be altered. Bond's site says that once he gets 50 confirmed orders, his team will order a WRX and begin the process of creating the new bodywork. It is claimed that once work begins, it will be four to six months to "[present] a completed model for public view."
Bond says the price will come down depending on the number of orders beyond 50, but doesn't give any indication of how much those first 50 cars could cost. If you're keen, though, head over to the site and fill out the enquiry form. Who knows if the Concept 13 will happen, but so far this is the best chance you have of getting what could have been.

Subaru previews Levorg concept ahead of Tokyo reveal

When I was a kid I went with my family to a Subaru dealership. My brother, being clever as he is, pointed out that Subaru backwards spelled "you're a bus." The portly salesman was not amused, and we bought a Passat instead. Fast forward a couple of decades and we can't help but wonder if Subaru wasn't thinking the same thing when it named its new concept Levorg, which spells "grovel" backwards. The company itself says the name is a combination of the words "Legacy," "Revolution" and "Touring," but one way or another, that's what they're calling it, and here are the first preview images and details on the concept which Fuji Heavy will unveil at the Tokyo Motor Show this year.
Designed to combine the feel of a sports car with the practicality of a touring car, the Levorg looks set to preview the next step in a long line of performance-oriented Subaru wagons. It packs a 1.6-liter turbocharged boxer four and next-generation EyeSight technologies in what looks to be a svelte yet muscular form that could point the way forward for the next Legacy.
The Levorg, however, is not the only concept which Subaru will reveal in Tokyo this year. The Japanese automaker has also revealed plans to unveil the Cross Sport Design Concept (which could preview the replacement for the discontinued Tribeca), the Crossover 7 Concept (which looks like a taller version of the Legacy wagon with an apparent third row of seats), and an Evolution version of the Viziv concept presented in Geneva earlier this year. Scope them out in the gallery above and press release below.

Cosworth teases upgrades for Subaru BRZ

Subaru may or may not produce an STI version of the BRZ. Things seem to go back and forth on the subject. But Subaru Tecnica International isn't the only company with a history of tuning Subies. So does Cosworth, and now the British racing firm appears to be turning its attention to the BRZ and its Toyota- and Scion-badged siblings.
For those unacquainted, Cosworth is more than your average tuning company. It's a racing firm first and foremost, having made F1 engines under its own name as well as Ford's (chief among them the all-conquering DFV 3.0-liter V8 of 1960s and 70s fame), not to mention engines for Indy, rally and even high-performance, road-going versions of the Ford Sierra, Chevy Vega and Mercedes 190E. The list goes on and on, but you get the point.
Now withdrawing from Formula One, Cosworth is focusing its attention on tuning road cars again with the launch of the Cosworth Power Package line, the first of which will focus on the Toyota GT86 (aka Scion FR-S) and Subaru BRZ. We don't know just yet what will be included in the packaged dubbed FA-20, but from the video teaser below, it seems there'll be upgrades to the exhaust, suspension, aero and - if we're lucky - maybe a super- or turbocharger for the 2.0-liter flat-four engine. We'll have to wait and see, but we get the feeling that with Cosworth on the job, it'll be worth the wait. Check out the minute-long video below in the meantime.