What Does Subaru's Sti Badge Stand For?

Founded successful 1988, Subaru Tecnica International — STI — is simply a subsidiary of Subaru nan automaker, launched to some technologist charismatic Subaru racecars and bring that aforesaid tone to nan brand's accumulation vehicles. So it's comparable to Mercedes-Benz' AMG division, Nissan's Nismo, and nan SRT marque that Stellantis' caller leader is bringing back to North America. It's each astir winning connected Sunday to waste connected Monday, arsenic nan aged saying goes. Which is thing Subaru really had immoderate acquisition earlier introducing STI.

The company's first factory-backed racer was a Subaru Leone, sold arsenic nan "GL" successful America, that competed successful nan Southern Cross Rally successful Australia successful 1972. By 1980, Subaru was introducing nan four-wheel-drive introduction successful nan World Championship Rally series, yet going connected to triumph aggregate WRC titles nether nan guidance of STI.

As for nan first car STI developed, that was nan 1989 Subaru Legacy RS RA that group a world grounds for endurance driving. Subaru took nan car to a way successful Arizona where, complete nan people of 20 days, it racked up 60,000 miles astatine an mean velocity of 138 mph.

And while Subaru has dropped STI models from nan existent unit lineup, and is remaining connected nan sidelines for nan WRC, that whitethorn beryllium changing. There's a caller limited-edition STI coming amid hints of a full-on resurgence from nan label.

That truth that Subaru's first motorsport introduction was successful a rally, and that its first STI car was a long-distance runner, group nan reside for immoderate of nan brand's biggest motorsports success. After bringing 4WD to nan WRC successful 1980, it dominated nan adjacent decade — and past immoderate — pinch nan Subaru Impreza. This included winning nan WRC driver's and manufacturer's titles successful 1995, taking location nan maker's title again successful 1996 and 1997, and capturing nan driver's trophy again successful 2001 and 2003.

Subaru reined successful its racing efforts a fewer years later, mostly for financial reasons that weren't helped by nan world meltdown of 2008. But during that time, Subaru started taking connected nan 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance title and notched 7 people victories betwixt 2011 and 2024 pinch WRX racers. Nowadays, Subaru besides remains a communal show successful nan winner's circle of galore awesome location series. For example, it's a cardinal competitor pinch nan Subaru BRZ successful Japan's Super GT300 series, wins pro rally championships pinch nan WRX passim nan U.S., and helped put connected a show astatine nan 2024 Goodwood hillclimb.

Given that nan full constituent of STI is to bring motorsports engineering to nan brand's accumulation cars, you person to deliberation that much STI accumulation cars are, successful fact, connected their way. For one, nan 2025 Subaru WRX STI S210 is real, and it's spectacular — for nan astir part. It doesn't connection a manual transmission, aliases overmuch of an summation successful power, but it does athletics upgrades for nan brakes, suspension, cooling, and aerodynamics, positive it welcomes carbon-fiber Recaro seats and BBS forged-aluminum wheels. Our Collin Woodard said "there should really beryllium immoderate noticeable improvements connected nan track" arsenic a result.

It's a mini measurement for STI — particularly since nan WRX STI S210 is constricted to 500 units worldwide — but nan adjacent move could spot a bigger leap successful a newer direction. David Dello Stritto, wide head for trading and nationalist relations astatine Subaru Europe, explained to Autocar recently: "Ask nan mean personification what Subaru intends and they'll opportunity STI. You can't disassociate this from Subaru. So we request to bring sportiness backmost to Subaru."

As to what shape that would take, well, let's retrieve that erstwhile Subaru made a really, really accelerated electrical conception car successful 2022, it was called nan STI E-RA. If traditionalists are upset that nan typical version STI is automatic transmission only, hold until they find retired that nan adjacent STI car could beryllium an EV.