Subaru Announces Retirement for BRZ’s EJ20 Engine

Subaru has announced that its BRZ GT300 challenger in SUPER GT will no longer be powered by the venerable EJ20 boxer engine beyond the end of the current season.

The Japanese manufacturer revealed on Tuesday that the two-litre turbocharged motor that has powered all of its SUPER GT machines since the start of its partnership with R&D Sport in 2009 will be retired in favor of a brand-new unit for 2026.

It follows Subaru testing out a new engine via the use of a mule car, a previous-generation BRZ, in a GT Entrants’ Association-organized test at Motegi this month.

While no details of the new engine have yet been revealed, trackside footage captured by fans present at the test suggests it has an entirely different exhaust note that would signify a major change of concept for the upcoming season.

A Subaru statement published to social media read: “The EJ20 has been the heart of Subaru for a long time. Although it was retired as an engine for production cars in 2019, it has continued to support Subaru in the world of motorsport.

“The final motorsport engine to bear the EJ20 name is the one installed in the No. 61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport that currently competes in SUPER GT.

“It has shared the good and the bad with us in the 16 years since we began competing in SUPER GT for the first time in 2009.

“The engine will be retired at the end of the season, and from next season it will relinquish its role as the heart of the machine to its successor.”

Subaru’s decision to switch engine concepts comes amid another largely disappointing season for the brand that last won the GT300 title in 2021.

Hideki Yamauchi and Takuto Iguchi sit 10th in the GT300 standings with two races to go with a best finish of second at Suzuka in August, although they were on course for victory in the second round of the season at Fuji until a dramatic last-lap failure.

It also follows Subaru giving the No. 61 car its most significant refresh since the second-generation ZD8 body was introduced ahead of the 2021 campaign.