More to come in Frankfurt, but we know the long-awaited Subaru-Toyota sports car will be dubbed the BRZ on the Subaru side.
Subaru will bring a new “technology concept” to the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show that should provide some pretty clear answers as to what to expect once it finally brings to market the long-awaited sports car it has been developing with Japanese giant Toyota.
One of the things we’ve already learned is that the new car will go by the name Subaru BRZ, that abbreviation short of Boxer Rear-drive Zenith. As that, in turn, reveals, the sports car will be powered by the classic Subaru horizontally-opposed boxer engine but – in a sharp break from long-time policy – the BRZ will become the only model in the maker’s line-up not to feature all-wheel-drive.
Subaru gave an earlier tease at last winter’s Geneva Motor Show, unveiling a transparent – and yet-unnamed – version of the sports car that did provide a visual guide to its mechanical underpinnings. Subaru claims that the vast majority of the cars underlying technology was developed in its R&D labs, though Toyota officials have, more recently, tried to take claim for some of the key mechanicals.
At the spring New York Auto Show, Toyota lifted the covers on a concept version of its sports car, tentatively labeled the FRS-86 – in honor of the Corolla AE-86 of the early 1980s. Significantly, it appears the 2-seater will be marketed through Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion division.
Subaru claims its version will bring some distinct difference to the joint venture’s ultimate results, some of the key details of the FRS-86 will almost certainly carry over. The Scion prototype boasts a gull-wing shaped roof, a trapezxoidal rear end and striking, almost sci-fi-style headlamps. The 20-inch wheels are eight inches wide up front and 10 in the rear.
The basic flat boxer 2.0-liter powerplant was directly lifted from the Subaru toolbox. Scion wouldn’t provide specifics, like horsepower and torque, however. The engine on its prototype is mated to either a 6-speed, short-throw manual, or an optional 6-speed automatic using steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Jack Hollis, the Scion general manager, described the FRS-86 as “friggin’ really sweet,” and hinted it’s darned close to the production design. A well-placed Scion source noted there will be some minor designs concessions. The aggressive rear spoiler, for one thing, will have to toned down to make it easier for the sports car to meet crash regulations.
We’ll have to wait until Frankfurt to see just how much different the Subaru version is from Scion’s.