2012 is starting to look like the year of the new hachi roku as both Toyota and Subaru ready for an onslaught of marketing events for their joint sports car. For the upcoming Tokyo Auto Solon, held from Juanuary 13 to 15th, two special Subaru BRZ’s will be on display.

First the BRZ Concept STI will feature suspension upgrades, Brembo brakes tower bar, front and rear spoilers, sport muffler, 18-inch rims, as well as prototype carbon-fiber components including carbon front hood and a carbon roof.

Next, Subaru has collaborated with aftermarket tuner Prova for a BRZ Black Edition. Despite carrying over a name meant for elite AMG cars, Prova and the fellow tuning community will no doubt continue to create exciting new products for the new sports car.

As for factory Subaru, a new Impreza G4 STI will join the exhibition floor with all manners of performance upgrades. A GT300 BRZ and the outgoing GT300 Legacy will join the floor as well. What’s more, Subaru has announced its motorsport resurgence with the entry of an Impreza STI in the Nurburgring 24 as well as the return to rally competition with its participation in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

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Subaru showed off its newest and latest limited edition JDM Impreza STI model, the S206, today at the Tokyo Motor Show. The EJ20-powered S206 has been refined to 316-hp and 318 lb-ft of torque, but it’s its unique exterior styling that we’re digging.

Front and the rear, Subaru has equipped the S206 with new spoilers, while the front lower grille openings are unique to the special edition STI. We took a peek inside at the leather-wrapped steering wheel, Alcantara Recaro seats and its special seatbelts. Suspension upgrades can also be found on the S206 with special STI springs and inverted Bilstein shocks in the front and the rear. The S206 also looked fantastic with a set of 19-inch wheels.

The S206 will also be offered with a special NBR Challenge package, celebrating Subaru’s class victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Carbon fiber goodies are added on the roof panel and rear deck spoiler along with black 19-inch wheels and NBR Challenge logos.

GALLERY: Subaru Impreza STI S206

Subaru revealed some new details about their BRZ Concept-STI today, chief among them the addition of a carbon fiber roof to lower weight and the vehicle’s center of gravity.

Along with the roof, the sports car, clad in Subaru’s iconic WR Blue Pearl paint, gets a unique front spoiler and rear wing, a rear diffuser and an 18″ wheel and tire package (215/45R18 in front , 225/45R18 in the Rear. Also in the cards are Brembo brakes, a staple of STI cars and an “STI tuned suspension”. We’ll have live reveal pictures later on, so check back for more coverage of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

GALLERY: Subaru BRZ STI Concept

Discuss this story at SubaruBRZForum.com

Since the inception of the Subaru WRX and STI models, they have thus far been linked to the ho-hum Impreza compact sedan/hatch. While that saved Subaru a lot of money in developing a new platform in the past, and they have done a phenomenal job transforming a boring family car into a supercar hunting sportscar, for some the Impreza link is this car’s only downfall.

Subaru too wants its WRX and STI models to now be taken more seriously and hence from 2013 are going to unveil new versions which will be based on a unique platform.

We first reported on this news back in July, when this was just in a speculation stage. But now it seems the WRX and STI will form their own models, separating them from the Impreza.

So while there is a brand new Impreza being launched for the 2012 model year, the old (or shall we say current) WRX and STI will soldier on for one more year.

As for the 2013 WRX and STI models, lots is still being speculated about what powertrain this car will have. One rumor circulating the web is that it’ll be powered by a 1.6-liter, boxer four-cylinder motor with a massive turbo-charger, and it will be capable of producing 270-hp. Could the next STi sport around 350-hp? Only time will tell.

GALLERY: 2011 Subaru WRX STI

[Source: Car and Driver]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Subaru WRX STI Review

Subaru has announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement of the Isle of Man TT Races and rather than just sit idly by, the AWD turbo 4-banger brand is looking to participate, running a WRX STI on several timed laps of the famous TT motorcycle course.

The iconic motorcycle course is infamously known as one of the harshest test of man and machine. Professional British Rally driver Mark Higgins will drive a 305-hp Subaru WRX STI on the closed course run of the Snaefell Mountain Course. The Rally Champion and World Rally stage winner, will look to set the fastest time for a 4-cylinder engine production vehicle. The previous lap record of the same course was set in 1990, and the former test driver for Subaru is eager to beat it.

“I’m really excited at the opportunity,” said Higgins. “I know it will be hard work, but it’s a great challenge and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The US-spec Subaru WRX STI will race the 37 mile course with only minor modifications including a roll care, racing seats and harness as well as upgraded brake pads, Pirelli racing tires and a louder exhaust to alert fans of the on-coming car.

Subaru is pushing ahead to differentiate the WRX and STI performance models from their lesser, Great-Dane-schlepping brethern.

Unlike their rivals at Mitsubishi, there’s no controversy to whether their rally monsters will see next year. With the new Impreza unveiled at the New York Auto Show, there’s set to be a gap between the models. The Impreza’s new 2.0-liter boxer engine will not be turbocharged, according to Subaru, which means that the WRX and STI will soldier on with the 2.5-liter EJ25 that’s been serving them well for the past 20 years.

The separation gives Subaru the chance to push the WRX and STI even further. Akihide Takeuchi, Subaru’s Product Manager, said that a replacement turbo engine is currently in development, and is not merely a turbocharged form of the 2.0. He also dropped the hint that, like the Evo, a hybrid version may be in the works.

When the WRX and STI throw off the shackles of its Impreza overlords, there’s no telling how far it can go. A two-door STI? A hybrid 22B convertible with a turbo? An all-new ground-up architecture? Subaru fans should be very excited right now.

[Source: Car Advice]

Subaru will be represented by Subaru Tecnica International (STI) at this year’s 24-hour of Nurburgring race. Rolling in their new and improved 2011 WRX STI “ts”, the STI team has been very busy testing and tuning in order to compete in the SP3t class. Most recently the STI NBR Challenge 2011, the nickname for the race car, did some testing out at Fuji Speedway.

The car will be powered by a 2.0 Boxer DOHC with a twin scroll turbo pushing out 335-hp and 340 ft-lbs of torque. It’ll be mated to a 6-speed transmission with a front, center and rear LSD. Suspension will be handled by Bilstein while it’ll race on Dunlop tires wrapped around BBS wheels.

Obviously a huge collection of STI products will be on the race car, from clutch and flywheel to trunk spoiler and drive shaft.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: STI NBR Challenge 2011

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Yep, we’ve all seen it before walking into car dealerships; those weird aftermarket modifications that they tack onto a car and then jack up the price. Whether it’s adding a set of wheels and tires or an odd graphics package to the car, dealers have always carried on the tradition of overpricing a car with “accessories.”

But this modification probably trumps what any other dealer has ever done. They’ve taken one of the world’s most popular AWD turbocharged sports cars and… chopped off its roof. That’s right, you’re staring at a new-generation Subaru WRX STi sporting a convertible conversion. If its awfully bad looks weren’t enough, Manchester Subaru has attached an extravagant $75,000 price tag to the car. Oh did we say extravagant? We meant ridiculously absurdly outrageous.

And maybe we’re just completely off base here and don’t know the New Hampshire market all that well, but apparently Manchester Subaru will have five of these babies up for sale to whoever is insane enough to purchase one.

Poor concept, poor execution, all the way around.

GALLERY: 2011 Subaru WRX STi Convertible

[Source: Manchester Subaru via Autoblog]

Looking forward to Subaru‘s version of the Toyota FT-86 Concept? Sure you are! But what if you could get your hands on another STI-tuned Toyota-derived Subie. Um….. maybe not.

Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon, the Trezia STI gets an overhaul by the legendary Subaru Technica Institute.

Never heard of the Trezia? We don’t blame you. It’s the newest addition to the Subaru lineup overseas aimed at expanding Subaru’s sales there with a down-market model. A result from the continued cooperation between Subaru and Toyota, it’s actually just a rebadged Toyota Verso MPV. In fact, unlike the rest of the Subie lineup, it’s not even AWD.

No engine modifications have been made to the small 1.5-liter 4-cylinder, leaving power at a meager 107-hp – although an STI muffler might free up a few fractions of a pony. There is a complete aero kit and, as well as an STI tuned suspension and some plus-sized light weight wheels.

OK, so it’s no sports car, but for a box-on-wheels people mover, it’s about as stylish as they come.

GALLERY: Subaru Trezia STI Concept

Check out the rest of AutoGuide’s 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon coverage here.