Subaru BRZ

Japan contributes 48 cars to Dream Car Garage’s 600-car catalogue, and the Subaru BRZ occupies an unusually focused place within that group. Its standout position is not found in outright numbers, where it ranks 553rd for power and 558th for 0-100 km/h acceleration, but in how differently its specification is arranged. The BRZ is one of just 6 flat-four cars in the catalogue, one of 4 that combine a flat-four layout with rear-wheel drive, and one of only 2 naturally aspirated flat-four cars.

That combination gives the 2021 BRZ a distinct engineering identity within a broad collection. Its 2.4-litre flat-four produces 232 bhp and 250 Nm, sending power to the rear wheels through a fixed-head 2+2 seater coupé format. The result is a sports car that sits away from the catalogue’s search for the highest figures, with a top speed rank of 566th out of 600 and a 0-100 km/h time of 6.3 seconds. Those rankings show a car defined less by chasing the upper edge of performance and more by an unusual mechanical layout.

The BRZ’s price position reinforces that character. At a used price of £26,000, it ranks 549th in the catalogue, making it more expensive than 51 cars here, yet it remains the least expensive flat-four car in the collection. Its cost per bhp is £112, placing its value in the context of a catalogue where specification, rarity of configuration, and performance all compete for attention.

Subaru has 3 cars represented in the catalogue, and the BRZ brings a particularly distinctive Japanese contribution. It carries a naturally aspirated flat-four engine, rear-wheel drive, and compact coupé proportions into a garage containing 600 different possibilities. For collectors, that makes it a useful reminder that a dream garage is not built entirely from the fastest machines or the largest outputs. Some cars earn consideration because their numbers reveal a different path.

The BRZ is the car for a garage that needs a rare configuration.