No performance upgrades for Subaru BRZ STI?

Earlier this week we brought you first news and pictures of the Subaru BRZ STI – and discussed the potential for a set of high performance upgrades taking the car’s output to around 300hp.

However, according to people who claim to be in the know, this first round of  STI add-ons for the Subaru BRZ could be little more than cosmetic and chassis changes.

On Bing: see pictures of the Subaru BRZ

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Subaru originally rebuffed suggestions that it would fit a turbocharger or supercharger to the car’s 2.0-litre flat-four engine, which would easily take power from the standard 200hp output up to around 300hp.

The Japanese firm claims there is not enough room in the engine bay for a forced induction solution. Leading to rumours that the BRZ STI could employ a hybrid system to increase performance instead.

The flames of this fancy were recently fanned by Toyota, which co-developed the car with Subaru, when it announced a new Hybrid-R concept would be revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

Perhaps, we speculated, this could be the very hybrid power anticipated for the car, albeit debuting in the Toyota version, the GT86. As yet, this remains very much unconfirmed.

Worse still, just as Toyota’s TRD performance parts for the GT86 consist of little more than visual changes, Japan-based 7Tune.com is now reporting the Subaru BRZ STI could also prove to be little more than a standard car in sharper dress.

This understanding comes from its familiarity with a confirmed BRZ  ‘tS’ model. The tS badge stands for ‘tuned by STI’, with similar versions of other Subarus typically receiving nothing more than aesthetic modifications and some tweaks inside the cabin.

Potential examples in the BRZ’s case could include a new rear wing, Recaro two-piece bucket seats, revised front and rear bumpers, deeper side skirts, STI badging and larger 18-inch alloy wheels.

The latter, according to 7Tune.com, are required to fit over the new six-piston Brembo brake calipers, which along with upgraded Bilstein suspension dampers are the only performance or chassis modifications mooted.

Of course, a ‘warm’ Subaru BRZ coupe does not rule out a full on hardcore STI version at a later date. Ideally using the engine from the WRX Coupe concept. We can but hope.

This WRX Coupe will make its European debut at Frankfurt 2013, and it’s recently been confirmed that the car will be coming to the UK – which was previously in doubt.

Whatever the BRZ STI turns out to be, the covers on this are more likely to come off at either the 2013 Los Angeles or Tokyo Motor Shows.

Subaru BRZ STI teased online

Subaru BRZ review (2012 onwards)

Read another Subaru review on MSN Cars

On Bing: see pictures of the Subaru BRZ

Find out how much a used Subaru BRZ is worth on Auto Trader

By motoringresearch.com