Beast From the Far East: Subaru Teases a Hotter WRX STI You Can't Have

Monday brought an ever-increasing barrage of Facebook and Twitter posts on the importance of voting from your obnoxious friends and family, but it also brought us this interesting tidbit from Japan.

The TC 380, which sounds like the name of a Brazilian pocket pistol, is actually a Subaru — one you won’t be able to find in American dealerships, apparently, but one you could probably build yourself.

Subaru teased a lone image of the badge yesterday, adorned with the unmistakable profile of the WRX STI. While the model gains a slight horsepower bump for 2019 (310 hp), it doesn’t come close to the 380 hp figure.

Australia’s Drive tells us the TC 380 is to be a Japan-only variant of Subaru’s scrappy WRX STI, which eschews the U.S.-spec model’s turbo 2.5-liter Boxer four in favor of a turbo 2.0-liter. That mill generates 304 hp and 311 lb in regular versions, but the new badging tells us to expect far more oomph. The publication claims Subaru arrived at this higher level of performance by way of a new turbocharger, exhaust system, and catalytic converter sourced from HKS.

While nothing’s stopping U.S. STI owners from sourcing more power from the aftermarket, it’s always nice having stock gear beneath the hood, leaving that warranty fully intact. Drive claims this overseas model will also add a new intake and strut tower brace designed by rally driver Toshihiro Arai. Recaro seats and a carbon fiber lip spoiler completes the package.

All of this to say we’ll likely never see this model arrive stateside. While the Impreza underwent a design change and platform swap for 2018, the WRX and its brawner sibling stayed put, delaying the introduction of a new generation (built atop the Subaru Global Platform) until 2020. More power will hopefully be part of that package.

[Images: Subaru]