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Subaru: Toyota-based sports car is coming to the US with RWD

Subaru has made a name for itself in the US performance market thanks to a rally-proven all-wheel-drive system mated to their turbocharged Boxer engines but when the Toyota-based Subaru sports car hits the US market it will not feature AWD or a turbocharged Boxer engine.

We have known for a many moons that Toyota and Subaru were working together on a 2-door sports car known in the Toyota world as the FT-86, and many have speculated that the Subaru version would basically be a 2-door Impreza WRX (or WRX STi) but with the Japanese automakers announcement in Geneva, we know that probably won’t be the case. The details are still sketchy at best but we do have a few hard facts about the new sports car including the temporary name – the Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car.

The name says it all – rear wheel drive – and that alone tells us that this likely will not carry the WRX or STi name, considering that those sporty models are built around their advanced AWD systems. Also, Subaru has announced that the Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car will be powered by a 2.0L Boxer engine but it will be naturally aspirated, showing that Subaru is focusing more on fantastic handling rather than just brute horsepower. The Boxer engine is set back further than other Subaru performance models (with the engine actually sitting behind the front wheels) thanks to the lack of a transfer case getting in the way and the lightweight architecture of the Boxer engine allows for improved handling through front-rear weight balance.

Unfortunately, not much more is currently known about the new Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car but the company was kind enough to offer up these ghost-car images (check out the gallery below for more of them) showing the structural layout of the upcoming sports car. One important key note from today’s new information is that this RWD, naturally aspirated Subaru sports car will indeed make an appearance in the United States.

Toyota has gone so far as to show off the exterior of their version (the FT-86) but like Subaru, they’ve been tight-lipped as to what powers the new RWD sports car but as we progress through 2011 we can expect more completely information.

Other Subaru News:
Subaru WRX STI, Always a Snarling Sports Car, Eats Up the Snow
Subaru To Unveil Toyobura, Impreza and Trezia Concepts at Geneva Show

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