The Financial Times has a column on the Subaru WRX STI and Spec. D, in which the WRX STI is compared to the automotive equivalent of skinheads.
There’s no other way to say it: our Imprezas were black, bling and brutal – aggressive snouts, huge bonnet-mounted air scoops capable of sucking up small animals and children, and vast rear spoilers. In terms of looks Imprezas are, along with Mitsubishi’s even more thuggish-looking Evo, the automotive equivalent of skinheads.
But Kinnaird [Peter Kinnaird, managing director of Subaru] was convinced that Subaru might be missing out on a lot of potential customers, who would love to have that performance but cannot live with the boy racer image and so opt for the “safe” choice of a BMW instead. So he persuaded the factory to come up with the Impreza “Spec D”, which is just going on sale.
Subaru will show a new model of the WRX STI, the SpecD, at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham this weekend. It’s basically a more discreet version of the STI.
The full name for this turbocharged 281bhp 2.5-litre road-going rally racer is Impreza WRX STi specD, the D standing for “discreet”, apparently. The styling is, therefore, reasonably restrained for an Impreza, this model distinguished by its silver 17-inch wheels, smaller rear roof spoiler, front projector fog lamps and Prodrive lower grille.
There is probably a market for this car, but I think it breaks the purpose of owning an STI.
Read the full article at channel4.com.