With 2027 just around the corner, it’s time to get ready for a whole new list of stuff turning 25: Big Tymers’ “Still Fly,” Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man,” and the first Subaru Impreza WRX sport compacts sold in America. That’s right, Subaru’s gravel-spitter has been dashing through snow and sliding through dirt stateside for nearly a quarter of a century, and to mark the milestone, Subaru’s borrowed a little something from the past and a little something from an actual race car.
What we’re looking at here is called the WRX GD25, with “GD” throwing it back to the chassis code of the iconic bugeye Impreza WRX, and “25” being self-explanatory. It still has the same 271-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four as every other new WRX, a six-speed manual gearbox, and all-wheel-drive, but Subaru’s gone a little further to make this 350-unit limited-run model a bit more special.
It starts with the color scheme for a fast Subaru, World Rally Blue on gold wheels. Key elements of some of the greatest rally liveries of the past three decades that have since been copied, remixed, and rebooted countless times by product planners and enthusiasts with rattle cans alike. Better still, these wheels and the Brembo calipers behind them point towards the GD25 being based on the WRX tS, a model that already has Recaro seats, the aforementioned big brakes, and other performance goodies.
It’s already a strong package, and the WRX GD25 augments it with an STI short-shifter topped with a matching knob, starchier suspenders thanks to stiffer springs and retuned dampers, and additional underhood bracing. However, the real showstopper is a giant carbon fiber wing straight off of Subaru’s championship-winning ARA rally car.
Yes, this is the exact same dry carbon fiber swan-neck unit that’s given all-American action hero Travis Pastrana and veteran co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino real downforce when flying through the woods on their way to multiple class victories and the class championship. It’s a proper motorsports-proven piece of equipment, and one that really fits the WRX’s silver jubilee in America. After all, enormous wings are part of turbo Subaru lore, like early Hoonigan stickers and sizeable mud flaps.
Of course, the 2027 model year doesn’t just mark 25 years of the U.S.-spec WRX, but also 15 years of the BRZ. To celebrate that milestone, the BRZ ZC15 starts with the big-braked and fancy-dampered tS model, then gets a special shade of white paint, bronze accents, a black interior with bordeaux-red inserts, a short-shifter, and some uprated bracing. With only 300 units planned, it’ll be even rarer than the WRX GD25, and it’s arriving first. Expect the limited-run BRZ to hit showrooms early next year, the winged WRX to arrive in Summer 2027, and pricing to be released closer to both models’ on-sale dates. Given how both models seem to be based on top trims, don’t expect them to be cheap, but do expect them to be neat.
Top graphic image: Subaru
Yeah, give it more useless crap, as long as you don’t give it a hatch.
Because the three beancounters at Subaru US that oppose it can’t be wrong.
How much is the “Rear Picnic Table Delete” option?
That blurred out rear quarter in the topshot really set me up for disappointment, I was hoping for a hatchback.
Wheels just not gold enough and still 30+ HP lower than needed but I still want one.
Really getting the mileage out of this WRX model; are they trying to show up Stellantis for the most number of special/limited editions of a single model?
I’m still waiting for that 6MT Hatchback they promised, but at these fuel prices I’ll likely be cross-shopping an EV by the time I’m in the market.
Next gen will almost certainly be a hatchback. The WRX is the only sedan left from Subaru, they’ll rectify that for the next generation
I love a big, stupid wing.
Subaru, this is the seventh week in a row you’ve shown a special edition WRX in class
I really hate the gold/ bronze color combo on the BRZ. It just looks like they tried to make them match and failed. (If the Autopian wants me to post a guest rant about Kashima Coat colors on Fox MTB equipment, I’m ready).
Yeah, they’re little more than appearance packages but I refuse to bemoan anything that gives us car enthusiasts more options in the affordable sports sedan and sports car realm.
There isn’t even another manual awd sedan even sold in the US anymore is there?
GR Corolla, tinfoil hat says that cars existence is why STI didn’t happen for this generation WRX
That same tinfoil hat says the GR Corolla (or Yaris elsewhere), Civic TypeR, and GolfR are the reason we didn’t see either an STI or hatchback WRX.