Now that the Subaru WRX STI has been axed, it feels like the carmaker’s Subaru Tecnica International racing and road performance arm is fading away. And one model that could breathe new life into the division is the 2023 Subaru BRZ STI. Fans of the compact RWD sportscar have been asking for a full-fat STI version even since the original BRZ came about in 2013. And while the carmaker seems to dismiss the topic, next year’s tenth anniversary of the sports car would make a fine occasion for such a machine. But why not have a 2023 Subaru BRZ STI right now in digital form?
With the original BRZ and Toyota GT 86, the driver would have to make a bit of an effort to avoid using the underpowered label for an otherwise extremely engaging and affordable RWD toy. And the larger 2.4L boxer engine of the second-generation BRZ and Toyota GR86 leaves no room for such remarks, albeit barely making it into the aptly-motivated vehicle league.
STI fans saw their dreams flying away back in January at the Tokyo Auto Salon, when Subaru introduced a JDM STI performance kit for the coupe. The package touches the suspension, brakes, rear diff and adds more aggressive aero. Engine upgrades? Zero.
If, however, you want to see more of these Japanese market release, YouTuber TJ Hunt installed the kit on his BRZ, as you can see in the clip at the bottom of the page—these days, the vlogger is busy building a 2023 Nissan Z widebody kit for next month’s SEMA show.
The 2023 Subaru BRZ widebody kit is this digital artist’s work
The pixel master known as Avante Design (@avante.design_) loves to fill in the gaps created by carmakers, appearing to have a sweet spot for JDM vehicles. So, while we recently discussed his vision on the R36 Nissan GT-R, a virtual replacement for the long-in-the-tooth R35—which we still adore—this time around he pixel-built a 2023 BRZ STI. He actually labels this as a 2022 machine, but with the 2023 model already here, we went with this fresh model year.
This new BRZ STI kit includes a meaner front apron with extra-gaping intakes, while the overfenders seem to speak of Japan’s Super GT racing series. Of course, these are here to complement the wider tracks. Speaking of which, the traditional STI blue and gold color scheme is present, with the later hue adorning the Enkei RS05RR wheels.
At the rear, there’s a revised shoulder line linked to the light clusters, while huge vents grace the revised apron. Of course, the kind of rear wing people put on WRXs these days to protest against the axing of the STI is also present.
Now, with all that added aero, airflow manipulation hardware and wider tracks, this 2023 BRZ STI seems worthy of the turbocharger Subaru refuses to install (why else would you bother with all those upgrades?), albeit with the artist stopping short of mentioning this.
