1988 Subaru Gl, Vin #jf1ac43b6jc219177, Nada Suggested Retail $2,200 - $4,800 on 2040-cars

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Subaru details BRZ tS, stops short of full-on STI

Fans of the sweet-handling Subaru BRZ awaiting some performance enhancements got their hopes up earlier this month when parent Fuji Heavy Industries dropped some teasers hinting at an apparent STI version, but as was subsequently suspected, the model in question - now revealed in full - stops short of being a full-on STI model.
What we're looking at here is the new Subaru BRZ tS, which incorporates a series of enhancements but leaves the engine alone. Available exclusively in the Japanese Domestic Market, the BRZ tS package includes a thicker driveshaft, a front lip spoiler, Brembo ventilated brake discs packed inside 18-inch wheels and a smattering of STI logos inside and out. STI has also upgraded the suspension components, retuned the stability control and exhaust note and enhanced the interior with some carbon and Alcantara touches. An additional GT package includes further upgrades, most noticeably the giant rear wing (made of carbon fiber) shown above, black-painted alloys and Recaro bucket seats.
Only 500 examples of the BRZ tS will be offered in Japan, with no more than 250 of those outfitted with the supplementary GT package. Here's hoping Subaru gives us a taste on this side of the Pacific as well - or better yet, maybe they'll quit joking around and give us the full-on STI already.

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.

Is the Subaru BRZ STI being teased really only a tS version?

Teaser images of a purported Subaru BRZ STI were uncovered last night and sent the internet into a collective state of hysterics. That's not hugely surprising, though, considering the reverence that the BRZ, along with its fraternal twins, the Scion FR-S and Toyota GT86, have garnered from the automotive media. The sole sticking point, really, has been its mere 200 horsepower. People have been chomping at the bit over a higher output version of the sublime rear driver.
Those same people may be in for a disappointment, though. See, the BRZ STI that was teased last night might not be a real STI. Instead, it's looking like it might be a BRZ tS. According to 7Tune.com, the timing of the photos posted on Subaru's website lined up with Subaru's 86 Festival at Fuji Speedway, where the Subaru BRZ tS debuted. Despite wearing STI badges, the tS isn't the full-tilt STI model we've been hoping for. Instead, you can think of the relationship between tS models and STI models as sort of like the difference between a BMW 3 Series M Sport and a BMW M3.
Certainly, the speccing of the tS supports that idea. The engine of the BRZ remains untouched in both tS models, which is one of the primary things we expect a full-bore STI to address. A number of interior and exterior styling items have been added, along with Bilstein suspension pieces and six-pot Brembo brakes. The tS sports two different trim levels, with the higher end using Recaro seats, black alloy wheels, and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler. The base tS features silver wheels, standard seats, and all the same suspension and brake upgrades. Adding fuel to the fire that these are not the true STI models is the limited production run - Subaru will only build 750 tS cars.