Another variation of the Subaru BRZ has landed, this time in the land of Lamborghini and Ferrari. The nimble sports coupe is making its debut in the Italian market, and as an opening salvo, Subaru is coming out with a special edition called the BRZ Touge.
For the uninitiated, touge is the Japanese word for mountain pass. Japan has lots of them, and these twisty roads have been ground zero for illicit tests of automotive performance for generations. Drivers seeking to test the limits of their cars would initiate “touge battles” up and down these hairpin-filled passes at night, eventually spawning the art of drifting.
The BRZ Touge comes with hardware items that aren’t found on the standard BRZ and are Italian in origin. Firstly, Subaru’s trademark blue metallic paint is paired with 18-inch OZ Racing Ultraleggera alloys – gold, of course, to match its WRC-winning rally car color scheme. They weigh 19 pounds each, a bit lighter than the stock 18-inchers, have the Japanese character for touge in the center cap, and are fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 215/40-R18 tires. At the rear, a Supersprint exhaust with the car’s name is etched into the tip.
Performance-wise, the BRZ Touge produces 231 horsepower. There’s no explanation as to why it makes three more than the 228 we get in the States, but it’s likely because of the exhaust, and not anything done to the engine itself.
The BRZ Touge also comes standard with several official STI accessories, including front, side and rear ground effects. Additional Subaru accessories include side vent inserts, a rear diffuser and a rear spoiler. Velour mats stitched in blue are exclusive to the model as well.
The BRZ Touge is limited to only 60 units. Each will come with numbered door sill plates that denote the build sequence. Additionally, each buyer of a BRZ Touge will receive a special package from the dealer that includes a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity, a numbered leather key ring, an exclusive shift knob, and a numbered car cover.
The car stickers at the euro equivalent of $52,400, a steep jump from the $29,615 (including destination charge) starting price of a U.S.-market BRZ. A significant part of that is likely due to peculiars of the local market. And while the BRZ Touge is meant to evoke the storied roads of Japan, it also seems appropriate for an Italian-market car. After all, Italy is home to some of the worlds’s most famous mountain passes.
