I am in certain transit-oriented circles online. These are places where debates over streetcar vs. BRT are common, and I am considered “car-pilled” for my automotive enthusiasm. I could not explain to anyone there why the $3,300 option for a winged Subaru BRZ makes any sense. They would think my brain had broken (they may already think that). Perhaps you will understand?
The car I’m talking about is the Subaru BRZ Type RA, or “record attempt.” This is a 300-unit, limited edition series only for sale in Japan. It’s inspired by the Super Taikyu Series, which is a pro-am deal sort of like IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge.
It’s very much like the Subaru BRZ that Thomas just drove, but with a few specific upgrades.
Unlike most Pleiades-badged Subaru special editions, this one gets an actual engine upgrade to make for a “Balanced Boxer” as the translated press release explains (like Joe Louis?):
Weight tolerance reduced by more than 50% compared to mass production Pistons and connecting rods. By incorporating special parts such as a crankshaft and flywheel with reduced rotational balance tolerances, the engine’s rotation precision has been refined, resulting in a precise and smooth feeling like that of a race car .
Will that result in more power? Who knows. Also onboard are some key suspension upgrades, including new ZF front and rear dampers, a bunch of STI parts, and forged aluminum wheels. Pretty standard stuff, really.
Ok, here’s the fun part. There are two versions of this for sale. If you’re in Japan, you can enter a lottery for one of 200 Type RAs without the spoiler for 4,972,000 yen, or about $32,144. If you’re feeling yourself, you can go into the lottery for one of just 100 Type RAs “with Rear Spoiler” as the company calls it. This version is $35,415, or $3,301 more expensive.
What do you get for that money? As best I can tell, you get the STI Dry Carbon Rear Spoiler and… that’s it. I suppose you get the warm feeling inside when you see a spoiler-less Type RA and realize that you’re the only one with the spoiler. I love big spoilers, so I get it, aesthetically. I once owned a Merkur XR4Ti, and part of the appeal was the big wing.
You get it, right?
If you live in Japan and this is something you need, you can special order it here.
Top photo: Subaru
Personally, I think spoilers look stupid on street cars.
One of my favorite things I ever read in Consumer Reports was about the spoiler on (I think it was) a Boss 302 Mustang was so effective that it shut the trunk lid at a standstill.
It’s a low-volume collector’s item and probably expensive to make. Is it good value? No, but you wouldn’t be getting a limited-production sports car if good value was your main concern.
“Take this quarter. Go downtown and have a rat chew that thing off your ass.”
Regards, Uncle Buck.
I visited the STi Gallery in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan a couple of weeks ago. They had one of these spoilers on display! It is apparently sold as an accessory under part number ST96050ZM000. No, it is not currently sold by Subaru of America.
So…the Toyabaru twins were originally designed to be an excellent handling/performing base for owners’ mods and now we’re debating how much to spend on factory options to turn the car into the OEM idea of the performance car we were originally supposed to build ourselves.
I guess we’ve all decided we have more money than time and skill…
Oh, it’s spoiling something all right: The looks of the car.
Is there any valid aerodynamic reason for suspending the spoiler from above rather than mounting from below, or thru the leading edge with a possible rib bulge as necessary? It looks like a purely aesthetic design decision.
It looks silly to me, but I imagine there are people who like it, and will drop three grand for it. But it brings to mind that car with the aero ribs, scoops, vanes etc. three and four deep on the body for laughs.
I have also wondered about this since this style has become popular. Surly one of the Autopian weirdos has the needed expertise
If only there were an easily accessible knowledge source that could answer this question. I guess we’ll never know.
https://www.motortrend.com/features/swan-neck-wing-mount-explained-downforce-tech
Thanks.
The article also points out some downsides. So it’s up to the individual application as to the benefits. I still wonder whether a leading edge attachment might be even better, provided thee’s not too much flex—or a trailing edge attachment, or front/rear.
It’s *the* way that modern racecars use to suspend the rear wing, suggesting that the benefits far outweigh any potential downsides. The switch was driven by regs that reduced the size of the rear wings which put a much larger emphasis on efficiency.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/2025_Japan_GP_-_McLaren_-_Oscar_Piastri_-_FP1.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/24H_Le_Mans_2025_Nr._81_%282%29.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/2024_6_Hours_of_Spa-Francorchamps_Porsche_Penske_Motorsport_Porsche_963_No.5_%28DSC02380%29.jpg
The benefits for a street car are nil.
Swan neck wings work better because they generate more downforce with less drag by mounting the supports on top of the wing, leaving the underside clean and unobstructed. This allows for smoother airflow over the wing’s pressure-sensitive lower surface, which is where most downforce is generated, leading to greater efficiency and consistent downforce, especially at high speeds.
Thanks.
While I am not a pro racer, I do enough pro/am stuff to say that the swan neck thing is definitely a thing. In tracks with long straights that also have medium and high speed corners being able to have same downforce as your old bottom-mounted wing while having a couple of percent less drag will make for a couple of mile an hour difference in the straights, which (assuming you are at the competitive end of such races) makes a decent difference
Based on the craftsmanship and engineering, that totally looks like a $3k spoiler to me. And I usually love giant factory spoilers, but unfortunately this one just looks too tacked on.
It’s funny, because I bet this is a form-follows-function upgrade, but at first glance it reads too much like the $100 spoilers I see added to Altimas around here.
OEM wings are dope as hell. I recently picked up a tS BRZ wing for my race car and I can actually feel the difference, it’s cool as hell
To be fair, Honda offers a package on the new Type-R that is 5500 for different wheels and a bigger, carbon fiber wing.
As a guy with a ’24 Civic Type R, I get it. Some of us never grow up.
You sir, have the correct amount of spoiler. Never give in, never grow up!
So they decided to actually try with building an engine correctly. Five bucks says they didn’t check the RTV on the oil pan, so the pickup will still get clogged and grenade the engine on track anyways.
Depending on the variance in your production processes, getting a subset of parts that validate to a smaller tolerance spec can be as easy as doing measurement and sorting thru existing parts. (And on parts that get 100% inspection rather than sampling, virtually by just going thru the measurement data already recorded).
In simple terms, you pick out the parts that are already closer to perfect, and leave behind the ones that are further away but still within normal specifications.
I do love a big stupid wing…
It’s really not a bad price at all for a dry carbon swan-neck wing. This also has the advantage of being designed specifically for this application. If you’re into this kind of thing it’s a decent deal.
And honestly the whole car in general is just cool. I love factory editions that are more about fine-tuning and refinement than just adding gobs of power.
I keep thinking about putting a big spoiler on my BRZ, I totally get it.
Looks at question about wanting a spoiler, looks out window at Civic SI, nods approvingly. Yes, yes I want the version with the big wing.
I don’t think the design requires a spoiler, but sometimes you want to show off. The BRZ can’t be a sleeper, it’s already a rwd coupe, so this is your chance to say, “Hi, my name is Dave, and I like to party”.
I’m not a fan of big-ass spoilers in general, but this is actually not bad. At least it’s on a RWD car where it could (theoretically) do some good.
They reduce understeer in FWD applications when used correctly.
Leave it to Matt to put spoilers right in the title.
Spoiler Alert!!!
Money will grow back. Wings – or lacks of wings – are forever.
Spoiler envy. We get it.
That’s a mighty fine looking spoiler right there
Isn’t it though? I feel like you’d quite easily pay $3k for something from the aftermarket, and it would be nowhere near as prettty.
You could make one out of pennies for $14.03.
I get it. I felt (and feel) the same way about the similar exercise that was the early ’10s Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca.
Edit: though I keep forgetting about the ill-advised, eye searing color schemes for it – why on earth did Ford not offer the late 60s heritage look on it specially instead of using it on the “regular” Boss 302?
I eventually put a Ford-style airfoil spoiler like those on the Z52 Corsica. The turned-down winglets always look nice to me, and it actually matched the aero body style extremely well when painted to match. Set up correctly, it really did improve rear end stability at higher speeds which it may or may not have achieved from time to time. 😉
Best of all, it cost less than 200 bucks from JC Whitney, plus the cost to get it painted. Carbon fiber or not, $3300 for a spoiler is a bit nuts.
I love this comment mostly b/c it reminds me that you actually owned an incredibly rare piece of rad automotion. It’s the hardest part of a top tier autopian trivia question: name the 5 Chevy Z-designation models of the 80s/90s.
I like it. My last car was a ’14 BRZ that someone added a turbo to. If I hadn’t found a GR Corolla, a new BRZ/86 was probably next on the list.
No, no, I get it, I get it.