The main draw of STI Gallery is its constant rotation of a small number of important Subaru vehicles. Be sure to check the gallery website for what is on display at the time of any planned visit. (Photos: Rory Daley)
Any reference to Subaru Tecnica International (STI) brings the Subaru faithful to their knees in reverence. The original cherry blossom pink, now red, logo continues to be a badge of honour on any Subaru vehicle, and there’s a clear reason.
Established in 1988 as the motorsports division of Fuji Heavy Industries, now Subaru Corporation, it defined a generation of rallying with the iconic Subaru Impreza and passed down performance parts to the consumer from its competition knowledge.
For those steeped in the lore of Subaru performance history, there is only one true mecca. Nestled just outside of Tokyo is the Mitaka Subaru dealership, at first, the unassuming location is just a sea of new Subarus. After some closer inspection, the main building reveals its truth: From 2009 it has been the repository for the history of STI.
“We have been here since 2009 and last underwent major renovations in 2019,” Yoshiaki Mashita explained to the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.
The STI Gallery currently occupies the top floor of the Mitaka Subaru showroom, exhibiting the company’s historical items, from full cars, trophies, and memorabilia, to general information on STI’s activities and current performance parts.
“It’s designed to be able to hold various STI special exhibitions or events,” said Mashita.
STI Gallery maintains a constant rotation of iconic vehicles from its illustrious past. Upon entry, visitors are greeted by several important bits of STI history.
On the day of Auto’s visit, the gallery had their GT300 BRZ race car, a 1998 Subaru Impreza World Rally Car, the road car it inspired — the Impreza 22B, a rare left-hand drive S209 from America, and several of its Nürburgring Challenge race cars.
After signing the guest column, entrance is free and, receiving a few stickers, visitors can roam around untroubled to their heart’s content to soak in all the Subaru and STI they can.
As the display vehicles are not roped away and covered with ‘don’t touch’ signs, things can become even more interactive if one asks nicely, shows deeper interest, or just behaves politely. Gallery ambassadors will open the cars for even more detailed viewing and can allow visitors to sit in these iconic machines, under proper supervision, of course. For those wanting even more interactivity, there is a racing simulator to cool the need for Subaru speed.
And when all that is done, there is more than enough to continue to experience. The surrounding walls have fixed installations that have STI’s numerous successful motorsports outings. Trophies and awards grace the ceilings, while a timeline of STI vehicles told in 1/64 scale models follows suit. These are the fine bits of STI details that fans of the brand crave.
In typical Japanese fashion, having vending machines is a must. There are snacks and drinks, but at STI there is an extra twist — their own machine containing STI-branded swag and even performance parts at the push of a button after a few Yen get inserted. Performance hounds no longer have to drool at online pictures or those from the STI performance catalogue. The newest and large upgrade parts are on display in the flesh to be seen, also ready for purchase, as is any item in said catalogue.
There are also themed gallery installations, such as the Azur Lane x STI collaboration that took place during Auto’s visit. Azur Lane is a mobile video game that sponsored Subaru for the 2024 24h of Nürburgring event.
“We aim to make STI Gallery Mitaka a special place where Subaru and STI can communicate and engage with fans, and even other car enthusiasts from across the globe,” said Mashita.