Subaru BRZ: first official images 02 | 11 | 2011

IT MAY STILL be billed as a concept, but this is the first official image of the Subaru BRZ coupe which will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Motor Show in a fortnight.

When the car is officially launched in full production form at the Tokyo Show in December, the lightweight rear-drive two-seater will be the 'most launched car' in recent history.

This official pic highlights a few styling differences between the Subaru BRZ and its Toyota FT-86 twin, notably a boxier-looking rear haunch, defined by a crisp styling line over the rear wheel arch, where the Toyota uses flowing sheet metal.

And where Toyota uses curvier shapes for its rear lights cluster, those of the Subaru are more aggressive and square-edged in their styling. They're also more clearly distinguished by using clear lenses.The Subaru also gets quad exhaust pipes, compared with the pair in the Toyota.

Scottish Subaru dealers will get the all-new BRZ — short for Boxer, engine, Rear-drive, Zenith — next spring.

It's also likely to be a scarce beast, with the adverse exchange rate of the Yen versus the Pound forecast to keep prices high and limit sales to around 500 cars a year.

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Jim McGill