Subaru WRX STI Type RA: Details and images emerge

New Subaru WRX STI Type RA (Courtesy of Subaru)

Subaru has now released a new video of its WRX STI Type RA NBR Special, which is a lighter, track-tuned version of the Subaru WRX STI that's going to be attempting a new lap record for a four-door sedan later this year at, you guessed it, the Nurburgring. Details of the production Type RA are set to be released in a couple of days, but the video of the tack-focused version does give us a good idea of what to expect.

There are some seriously high-tech and seriously expensive features in evidence, such as a carbon-fiber roof and rear spoiler that are there to save a considerable amount of weight and therefore enhance performance. But perhaps the feature that will most please Subaru enthusiasts is the return of those famed gold BBS wheels.

In this case they are a 19-inch forged set that are in the genuine Colin McRae shade of gold, although that means they are an inch larger than the last set of gold STI wheels we saw on the 2015 Launch Edition.

The RA part of the vehicle's name stands for "Rally Applicant," which is a moniker that dates back now as far as 1993. Ever since those days, the Japanese-specification RA has been a hard-core street model designed to be a base for upgrading, tuning and modifying for racing. Although the new car is likely to be a little faster and more powerful than its predecessors, Subaru isn't a manufacturer that's exactly renowned for massive power gains. The smart money is therefore on the new Type RA being much more of a handling upgrade than anything close to an all-out BMW M3 killer.

The video gives us a glimpse of a race-prepared Type A NBR (for Nurburgring) Special being put through its paces in the rain, so it does give us a pretty good idea of what the eventual production version will look like. To all intents and purposes then, it's going to look a lot like an STI with gold wheels, but it's underneath that blue bodywork where the real magic will be happening.

Video: https://youtu.be/j4HmoOAqtm8