Posted on: Jan 27, 2013 | 21,706 reads

Subaru BRZ Gazoo RA: For Japan Only

Subaru's BRZ receives a dose of stripped-down loving with the new RA Racing edition, but it's for the Japanese market only.

It's no secret that Subaru will at some point in the near future launch a more powerful version of its highly acclaimed BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports coupe in the US, Japan and other global markets. Toyota has also made no secret its intention to hand over its nearly identical version of the car, the GT-86/Scion FR-S, to its in-house performance division, TRD. But things have been somewhat quieter over at Subaru with its own STI performance arm and its upcoming plans for the car.

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Although it's for the Japanese market only, the newly revealed street-legal BRZ RA Racing is the first in-house developed performance street legal version of the car and it may just provide us with a sneak preview as to what the future BRZ STI will be like. Subaru upgraded the car with dedicated brake ducts that will reduce brake fade, air-fed engine oil cooler mounted inside the grille and removable front and rear tow hooks. Inside the car is a newly added six-point roll cage with custom floor mats and a FIA-spec four-point racing harness. Air conditioning is standard but the radio has been removed to cut some weight.

As you can tell by these official photos, wheel design was not much of a concern as it appears to come with stock tires and steel wheels. The assumption is that owners will equip it with their own wheel/tire combo. Buyers in Japan will be spending 2,868,000 yen for the RA Racing, which is roughly $31,500.