Subaru bets on R-Black ahead of Tokyo show
Flat fours, STI badges and silly names - Subaru in 2026 is as recognisable as ever
While Subaru in the UK is now much more about Outbacks and electric SUVs, the situation in Japan remains much more old school. At the Tokyo show this weekend, Subaru has confirmed half a dozen cars for its display: one is a rally car, one is a Super Taikyu touring car, three have STI badges and flat fours, and one is a BRZ racer. Unadulterated Subaru, basically.
The Super Taikyu racer is the big debut, as nothing is known about that for the moment beyond it using carbon-neutral fuel - though something BRZ-based would make sense. The competition car built from the Boxer Rear-drive Zenith that has been confirmed is the GT300-spec version for Japanese Super GT. As is so often the case with these top-tier racing machines, expect it to look incredible, like something out of a graphic novel. The rallying Subaru is a WRX VBH, perhaps as they were the only letters left to use in designating a special Subaru; it will compete in the JN-1 class of the 2026 Japanese rally championship, ‘delivering powerful performance’ in the process. If on the other side of the world, it’s nice to know that there are still new Subaru saloons rallying through forests. Hopefully the VBH’s arrival comes with a new line of bobble hats.
On the road car side of the coin, it’s also the familiar four-door shape that’s probably the most interesting. The WRX S4 STI Sport R-Black Limited II STI Performance (told you the names were silly) sounds like something designed specifically for Gran Turismo, but is in fact an upgrade on - another deep breath - the WRX S4 STI Sport R EX sold in Japan. The Sunrise Yellow is notable, as that’s typically reserved for very special Subarus; in this case, that’ll mean the fitment of STI performance parts (exact items to be confirmed), 18-inch aluminum wheels, Recaro seats with yellow stitching and suede inside for ‘exclusivity and presence.’ Hardly a transformation by the sounds of it, although, again, there’s something quite heartening about seeing new Subarus with big wings that look like what we’d call Imprezas in 2026.
It’s not just the WRX that gets the STI Sport R-Black Limited II STI Performance (this is great for word count) treatment, either, as there’s also a Levorg. The treatment is much the same: yellow, black wheels, Recaros, STI bits. The JDM curio remains alive and well, seemingly.
Finally, Subaru will be giving away its sixth show car, which is one way of drumming up interest. It’ll be an Impreza ST-H STI Performance Edition with Plus Package like the one seen below (all images are previews for now, though surely won’t be far off), which also gets STI hardware for ‘outstanding driving performance.’ So maybe it will look a bit different to the very ordinary hatch seen here. Whatever, there’s not very long to wait now for the official reveal, with a two-part press conference like it’s a theatre show taking place tomorrow morning, Japanese time.
And while nothing is likely to make its way over to the UK anytime soon, imports of Subarus with Recaro seats and lengthy names certainly aren’t done yet: see this GRB 2.0 WRX STI Type UK 20th Anniversary. Just a shame it’s not yellow, really.
And I did use to admire Subarus rather more than German Whips.
And I did use to admire Subarus rather more than German Whips.
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