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Subaru Files Patent for STI-Branded Performance Version of the BRZ

The best hint yet that the Subaru STI Performance Concept will hit production is here. Ladies and gents, the Japanese automaker filed a patent for the design you can admire below, which means only one thing - a facelifted BRZ with STI credentials!
Subaru BRZ STI Performance model patent drawing 16 photos
Photo: Subaru via AutoGuide.com
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Ever since the Toyota GT 86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S trio hit the market in January 2012, all of us petrolheads were wondering "OK, then, when will the hell-bent for leather STI model arrive?" We're not sure about that, but after almost 4 years in production, the time is right for a thorough mid-life facelift.

Our spy photographers caught the facelift earlier this year, sporting the same headlights and taillamps as the Subaru BRZ STI Performance concept car. I know what you're thinking: "What happened to the flared wheel arches, aggressive front fascia, and huge rear wing? The concept has them, yet the mule doesn't."

As AutoGuide discovered by searching through the Japan Patent Office's database, there's a recent filing for the hardcore BRZ / GT 86 / FR-S of our dreams. Since the facelift is expected to churn out 208 horsepower and the STI Performance concept boasts 350 horsepower, chances are we'll get an STI-fied Subaru BRZ with more than enough of get-up-and-go.

Now take a moment and compare the patent drawings with the Subaru BRZ STI Performance concept car. They're virtually the same, aren't they? Down to the design of the alloy wheels, rear diffuser, and side scoops, we're having a hard time trying to find Waldo here. Here's hope the pumped-up sports coupe will be launched right after the facelifted model is presented next year.

A horizontally-opposed boxer engine massaged by the STI skunkworks will be nothing short of a revelation for those who wished for more grunt from their next sports car. Unfortunately, the waiting game will be hard on this occasion...
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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