- Subaru has established a new Sports Vehicle Planning Office.
- The team will handle development of a rally-spec, turbocharged BRZ with all-wheel drive.
- The appointed BRZ will compete in the All Japan Rally Championship.
It’s been more than a year since Toyota built a turbocharged GR86 with all-wheel drive, and now Subaru is following suit. The newly established Sports Vehicle Planning Office was developing a BRZ raised to compete in the All-Japan Rally Championship. Full technical specifications have not been revealed, but we know the rally car is equipped with a turbocharger and sends power to all four wheels.
There’s a lot to unpack from the sole teaser image released last weekend by Subaru during the opening round of the 2026 Super Taikyu series. Despite being based on the BRZ, the rally car features revised bodywork with boxy wheel arches and a large rear wing. You can also see the roof scoop and what appear to be vertical hood vents.
The lifted BRZ offers great ground clearance, lots of suspension travel, and chunky tires at both ends. Subaru also redesigned the front bumper, and we get strong Miata vibes. We can’t see the rear of the car yet, but it looks like the overhang is much shorter, while the taillights also look different.
Photo by: Subaru
How much is retained from the standard car is unclear, but Subaru says the wheelbase is carried over as well. As you can imagine, designing this sports coupe with an AWD setup that was never intended presented a packaging challenge. Adding a turbocharger adds another layer of complexity.
As interesting as this all is, don’t get your hopes up for the production version. The high-riding BRZ is strictly a rally car, and there’s been no official statement from Subaru regarding a potential road-going model. However, the Japanese brand says that the aim of the Sports Vehicle Planning Office is to connect teams working on road cars with teams working in motorsport.
9
Source: Subaru
Motorcycle Pickup1: Considering the Sports Vehicle Planning Office has only just been established, don’t count on a street legal product any time soon. It’s probably too late for the BRZ at this point, considering the second generation has been around for almost six years. Nevertheless, closer collaboration between engineers working in the road and race car sectors would yield promising results.
Meanwhile, a rally-spec BRZ with a turbo and all-wheel drive will be introduced in the first half of the All Japan Rally Championship season.
