We want our Subaru BRZ in Japanese ‘Cup Car Basic’ spec

Subaru has unveiled its contender for the upcoming Toyota Gazoo Racing GR 86/BRZ Cup, and it’s almost exactly how we’d spec our perfect BRZ.

Look! Steel wheels! In this ‘Cup Car Basic’ trim the BRZ looks fantastically workaday, although don’t expect the steelies to make it to the track – you’ll likely have to swap them out for lightweight wheels and sticky tyres. Boo.

The two-make race series has been running for nine years now with the previous gen BRZ and GT86, and this latest championship with second-gen cars will kick off at the Fuji Speedway in July. The 86/BRZ Cup includes categories for pro drivers and amateurs, and the Cup Car Basic trim is available to buy from dealers throughout Japan. 

This new BRZ costs 3,338,500 Japanese Yen (just over £21,000) and includes a roll cage, eyebolts for a six-point harness, an additional engine oil cooler and new fins for cooling the rear diff. 

The mechanicals are standard Japanese spec – meaning there’s a 2.4-litre boxer engine under the bonnet making 232bhp (4bhp more than the US spec BRZ). Power is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Oh, and of course Toyota’s competitive GR 86 looks remarkably similar…