For various reasons I feel it’s time I address the Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT86 / Scion FRS. (From here on out simply referred to as the BRZ.) These three are, except for minor differences, the same car. It’s a sports car, co-developed by Subaru and Toyota. Built by Subaru in the Gunma Main Plant.
The only difference between the three, except for that they have different levels of equipment, is the light setup in the front and a slightly different spring setup.
I will, as always, refrain from going into details.
I won’t dive into how the bore is 86mm and the stroke is 86mm, or how the inner roof is elevated so that the driver and the passenger can wear helmets.
I won’t bore you with that the Aisin automatic uses a traditional wet torque converter design, but its software has been engineered to mimic the response of a dual-clutch gearbox, or that it has a torque sensing limited slip differential.
I will instead focus on it’s center of gravity.
The BRZ has it’s center of gravity only 460mm off the ground!
That is 25mm lower than a Porsche Cayman R.
This makes, of course, for great handling characteristics.
It’s not about speed in this car. Not in a straight line anyway. The 2 liter boxer engine produces 200hp, which is enough to set this 1298 kilo lump off fast enough. It’s about handling. It’s ALL about handling. Handling and having fun.
But enough facts. Just do what I always tell you… turn it up, lean back, and enjoy!