Just a bit of fun for this Friday afternoon – a potential WRX STi Coupe.
We have called it the RS500 in a nod to the previous Impreza RS Coupe of the 1990s, with the 500 a power ooutput of this rally-prepped turbo engine.
The exterior changes are extensive, but we aimed for production feasibility over other-worldly style. To this end, the windshield rake stays almost exactly the same, as do the front doors and other hard points up front.
Obviously cut out the rear doors, and shortened the wheelbase by five inches to make the RS500 Coupe pivot a bit more eagerly on rally stages, like the Sport Quattro from Audi that is almost comically short versus the regular Quattro rally cars.
The roofline plunges pretty dramatically behind the front glass, ending in a taller rear wing to cap things off.
Back to the nose, the RS500 Coupe rendering shows a larger scoop on the hood and a deeper front splitter.
What do you think? Pretty good for a quick project in Photoshop, we say.
Overall, it might seem silly to make an STi Coupe rendering — what with the BRZ in the Subaru lineup already.
But the BRZ does not seem capable of running AWD or turbo engines — which drastically limits the factory RWD Subaru’s overall sporting potential.
2016 Subaru WRX STi RS500 Coupe
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
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