The Tokyo Auto Salon is not your average auto show. While automakers are no strangers to bringing the same kinds of concepts we might see in Detroit or New York, modified cars and the aftermarket parts they carry are the true stars. Subaru brought its A-game for 2023, trotting out a whole range of neat vehicles that include new models, concept parts, and a whole bunch of motorsports goodies.
Residing front and center in Subaru’s Auto Salon display is a modified version of the next-generation Impreza hatchback that made its debut in Los Angeles in November. Rather than just rolling out the same bone-stock car from L.A., Subaru fitted this Japan-market Impreza with several STI accessories under development.
Details are light—and we’re waiting for Subaru to get back to us with a more comprehensive list—but a report from Carscoops said the Impreza concept carries STI-specific bumpers and side skirts, as well as a more pronounced roof spoiler. Gloss black paint can be found nearly everywhere the car’s Sunbrace Pearl Orange paint isn’t. But perhaps the coolest part of the whole concept can be found all the way aft, where a pair of center-mounted exhaust tips hang out.
Furthering the forbidden-fruit vibe is the Levorg STI Sport prototype, a hopped-up wagon with a limited production run and a whole host of upgrades over the Levorg STI Sport R EX on which it’s based. This sharp little longroof picks up a transmission oil cooler, a flexible draw stiffener and other chassis bracing, 19-inch BBS wheels, and Recaro front bucket seats.
If a beefcake off-road aesthetic is more your hang, check out the Boost Gear concepts. Essentially, Subaru took a subcompact Rex (below) and a larger Crosstrek and fitted both vehicles with all manner of rough-and-tumble bits like chunkier all-terrain tires and large mud flaps. In Subaru’s own words, these parts “excite a more active and positive adventurous mind,” a line we’re pretty sure we’ve also seen on packaging for those pills you buy at a truck stop.
There’s a little something for motorsports geeks in here too. Subaru’s Tokyo Auto Salon booth will also play host to the WRX Rally Challenge 2023, which is slated to tackle Japanese rallies later this year. Attendees will also be able to check out the BRZ GT300 car that participates in the Super GT racing series, as well as another WRX destined for the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Source: www.caranddriver.com