Subaru Tecnica International
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| Public High-performance tuning and motorsport division of Subaru |
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| Founded | April 2, 1988 |
| Founder | Noriyuki Koseki Ryuichiro Kuze |
| Headquarters | Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan |
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Area served
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Motorsport |
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Key people
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Yoshio Hirakawa Masahiro Maeda Hiroshi Mori Koji Mitsuno |
| Owner | Fuji Heavy Industries |
| Parent | Subaru Motors |
| Website | www |
Subaru Tecnica International (スバルテクニカインターナショナル株式会社, Subaru Tekunika Intānashonaru Kabushiki-geisha?) , or STI (prior to 2006, STi), is Fuji Heavy Industries' motorsports division. STI, along with Prodrive of the UK specialized in the preparation of a variety of vehicles for the Subaru World Rally Team which competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC). It was founded in 1988 by Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru, to promote the company's performance-oriented identity.
Subaru Tecnica International Inc. was established in 1988 by Fuji Heavy Industries to overtake all Subaru’s motorsport activities and participate in rally championships. Subaru’s first performance model was the Subaru Legacy Turbo, which featured a 2 liter turbo engine producing 240 horsepower mated to a five speed gear box and weighing just over 2,600 pounds. The vehicle had a top speed of 155 miles per hour, which was considered ‘’Extremely powerful’’ at the time.
In 1992, with its rally competitors increasingly shifting towards smaller and lighter chassis, Subaru introduced the smaller Impreza WRX, immediately achieving a podium on its debut on the 1993 1000 Lakes Rally. To jumpstart its early rally efforts, and to develop the Impreza into a competitive rally car, Subaru teamed up with preparatory firm and British motorsports company Prodrive, in 1989.
In 1994, Subaru replaced the WRX with the Impreza 555 rally car. The Impreza 555, eventually renamed ’’STI,’” featured a 2.0 turbo 250 horsepower intercooled engine with a suspension that could take on more aggressive potholes and jumps, as well as a short shifting transmission, which made switching gears more accessible and quicker. Each year between 1995 and 1997, the STI gave Subaru the Constructor's Championship in the World Rally Championship.
STI versions of the Impreza, Forester and the Legacy have been marketed as limited edition vehicles in certain markets. STI also designs upgraded parts, mostly suspension related, for use on other Subaru vehicles.
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