Well, well, well, what we have here? Is this Subaru’s new BRZ or what? Wheel, it looks like we are looking at a long-time rumored STI prototype. Yes, this is the U.S. model. We know that because it’s spotted here in States near Subaru’s office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 2018 Subaru BRZ STI won’t be just a more potent “horse”, but an essentially different car from its non-STI sibling. Yes, there is more power under the hood, but that’s not the most important difference.

Moreover, don’t expect anything over 230 horsepower from the boosted 2-liter flat-four. On the other hand, the STI will sport a special suspension and handling upgrades. Plus, the model uses pretty huge and racier multi-spoke wheels with Brembo brakes.

Upfront, the 2018 Subaru BRZ STI gets no noticeable changes at all. We were expecting to see at least a hood scoop here, but the carmaker decided not to add such a detail, so the hood looks unchanged. It’s pretty much the same story with the front vents. They are identical, so it’s clear that the engine won’t get more “wind”.

The exhaust system is also borrowed from the naturally aspirated model, yet the large rear wing appears to be the biggest change here. Yes, the BRZ tS features one similar, but STI’s is a bit bigger.

As you can see, the only spot that’s wrapped in the car’s grille, so there will be some styling tweaks for sure. On the other side, the rear doesn’t show anything new at all, but we think there will be new details when the manufacturer introduces the production model.