FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Subaru BRZ

Little by painful little, more details are being metered out by Subaru on its joint operation with Toyota to develop a rear-drive sports coupe.

Subaru told the world in August that its version will be titled BRZ (Boxer Rear-wheel drive Zenith) and even displayed a transparent-bodied coupe featuring the mechanicals at this year's Geneva motor show in March. At Frankfurt, the same model will be displayed this week with the moniker BRZ Prologue.

The rear-drive Subaru will be powered by what Subaru describes as a "totally new" FA boxer engine displacing 2.0 litres and – compared to existing Subarus – sitting lower (by 120mm) and moved rearwards 240mm to give "the best possible weight balance, as well as helping aerodynamics by allowing a low bonnet line".

Subaru says the all-alloy engine was exclusively designed for the BRZ and waxes lyrical about its light weight, compact size and low centre of gravity being the elements delivering a truly driver-oriented car.

Suspension is by struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear - as in the current Impreza - and the wheels are conservative 17-inch alloys wearing 215/45R17 tyres.

Apparently the new Subaru – and its Toyota equivalent, coded FT-86 but as-yet un-named – is all about handling. The company uses terms such as "great driveability," "great handling stability and driving excitement," "agile and stable handling" to describe the car's dynamics.

Indicating that the naturally-aspirated BRZ won't exactly be burning off the odd STi WRX, Subaru's press release says the car "doesn't solely rely on power output, but draws on the chassis, drivetrain, engine and suspension setup working in unison. Short front and rear overhangs reduce the yaw moment of inertia, resulting in agile and stable handling."

The following may not, in the scheme of things, mean an awful lot, but Subaru describes the BRZ as the "only mainstream front-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car in the world to be powered by a horizontally-opposed boxer engine."

The BRZ is planned to go into production in the first quarter of 2012, with Australia making a decision by the end of the year on whether or not it will come here.

No details on outputs for the new FA engine as yet, but Subaru supplies the following information on the BRZ's (sub-Impreza) dimensions.

Subaru BRZ Prologue preliminary specifications
Length: 4200mm
Width: 1770mm
Height: 1270mm
Wheelbase: 2570mm
Tyre size: 215/45R17
Engine: Subaru 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder horizontally-opposed FA Boxer engine