Was the Subaru BRZ influenced by the Maserati GranTurismo?

"Speedmonkey" (Speedmonkey) 09/02/2013 at 10:16 • Filed to: Subaru BRZ

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Ever since I took delivery of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! press car I've had a sneaking suspicion that its design (and therefore Toyota GT86 and Scion FR-S) was influenced by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and not just because these two come in a similar shade of blue - so I put this together.

What do you think? Coincidence or influence?

NB: The photo showing the similarities doesn't work on Kinja, open it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on my site

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:20

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The resemblance is uncanny.

stillthrottledown > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:31

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They don't look that similar.

Nibby > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:32

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The BRZ was influenced by the Prius! Same tires, yo.

Somethingwittyer likes noisy > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:33

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I'm just glad it design was the only thing that influenced the BRZ

dieselwagon > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:35

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There's a strong resemblance. I hope it's coincidental.

The BRZ is a nice looking car, but next to a GranTurismo it shows how it could have looked better.

PRBot II > stillthrottledown 09/02/2013 at 10:37

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Agreed. The Maserati looks way better.

Collin > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:39

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Well, if you're gonna steal, steal from the best.

Corey > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:40

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I never noticed it before now, but they do share similarities. In short, all cars borrow cues from existing cars whether it be true retro copycat designs within a manufacturer, or taking traits from outside companies. That's just how design works. Not much is truly original.

Lachlan - #ForzaJules > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:41

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Wow I had never noticed that. Definitely seems intentional.

And Subaru seems to have taken inspiration from Maserati before:

Every time I see one of these I notice the tailights

Ultrasuedecushion > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:42

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I agree that there are some similarities, but the same could be said about virtually any sport coupe on the road. Not that they're compare to a GranTurismo, but that they have similar lines and designed cues to some other car in the same segment.

bpands > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:45

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I think that's as close as Toyota could get to imitating the Gran Turismo without making the GT86/FR-S/BRZ too expensive/impossible to build in large numbers with machines in a factory. The Maserati is mostly built by hand.

Nisman > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 10:47

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Those taillights on the STI are not factory, it's a red film that a lot of guys apply over on NASIOC.

Unless they've changed it, of course.

OUScooby > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:49

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Well, yes they look similar, they are both front engine rear drive sports coupes, and they both incorporate that classic sports car shape of the long hood and stout back end. Its a shape that's been used over and over again over the past 50 years. There are a thousand other cars that if you found a picture of one in blue and but it next to the Maserati or the BRZ you could also say, "see looks the same, right?"

TheBaron2112 > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:49

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They're exactly the same in that the Bentley Mulsanne is exactly the same as a Yugo.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:57

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Yes, a front engined coupe looks like a front engined coupe. The shape is general, but the fine details look very different to me

steevkay > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 10:58

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The front and side views are really similar, but they deviate more when looking at the rear design.

Overall... CANNOT UNSEE.

GreatPower > PRBot II 09/02/2013 at 10:58

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You sure about that? Those ports on the Maser are in a terrible location and they look like those stick-on things from Autozone. The front end on the Maser looks more sculpted and precise in an expensive way, but it's not handsome. That grill-nose projection is pretty weird looking. It's distinctive, but not pretty.

The BRZ may look small and vague by comparison, but it doesn't look distinctively weird.

PRBot II > GreatPower 09/02/2013 at 11:00

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I just prefer Italian design language over Japanese.

stirling.spera > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:02

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When I first saw the Subiota my initial thought was "Hey, it's a mini-GranTurismo."

xxxxxx > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 11:05

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Taillights aren't like that stock. All of the red ones on the WRXes and STIs are tinted or have vinyl.

Critical Bill > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:06

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I thought that when I first saw the BRZ.Maybe it was intentional maybe not but one thing is for sure, when standing next to the GranTurismo I get a little weak in the knee.Standing the to the BRZ, Meh

OLDSLANG > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:08

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They are both blue...

Mikeado > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:08

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Car designers (outside of China) do not look at other company's cars for inspiration. I can tell you they get that knocked out of them pretty quickly. This is pure coincidence. It's mostly the proportions and the shoulder/hip over the rear wheels.

Don't forget, 95% of the BRZ's body was designed by Toyota. They took some inspiration from their own 2000GT, as demonstrated by the fact that at every motor show, where there's a GT86 there's a 2000GT not far away. Obviously their other automotive inspiration was the AE86, of which there was a notchback Coupé version. Put together those two cars and some non-car inspiration (probably some daft philosophy or theme) and you get the 86. The BRZ has a more Subaru-y DRG so it looks like their car.

shirosake > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 11:09

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Those taillights on the STI are painted. I did that with my 09 hatch. Stock they are totally clear and look like junk.

shirosake > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:10

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WAIT - I think the BRZ took influence from the Model T as well. The 4 wheels are a DEAD giveaway.

truebeliever > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:21

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The Maserati is the prettiest car I've seen in a long time so great car to use as inspiration. Prettier than the Ferraris in my opinion. I believe it, take something really sexy and sort of sterilize it that Japanese efficient way. Have to say that I still stare at those Maseratis when I see them and just love the way they sound. Nothing compares to that exhaust note.

word-is-bond > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 11:24

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But designers also pay attention. Taking note of things "that work." It may be subconscious, but when you have encyclopedic knowledge of various successful designs, details, or trends, you can find yourself sketching from subconscious inspiration.

Mikeado > word-is-bond 09/02/2013 at 11:28

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Still no.

seriouslywhyiskinjastillterrible > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 11:31

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Did ford take inspiration?, and apply 180deg rotation to make it 1% less obvious.

word-is-bond > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 11:40

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Ok - not sure how to take that - I actually agree with you, in that I don't think there was any direct inspiration here. I would guess that the explanation is simpler and both cars pulled from a myriad of long hood short deck stuff. But there's a reason for automotive styling trends. Designers are aware of what other companies are doing, even if they don't admit it.

SPNKiX > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 11:48

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"Car designers (outside of China) do not look at other company's cars for inspiration." I am not sure what you mean. Car companies are often/always influenced by other companies' vehicles. They even BUY other cars for benchmarking and testing. But lets address some of the other stuff. I think you are partially right about the proportions and would go further to say that this body style is one that is attempted on a regular basis by a lot of companies so it would stand to reason that many companies would arrive at similar conclusions. However, they may have easily just put together a sort of homage to the Grand Turismo because the proportions are so great on that car. And, as you say, the 2000gt was always just a glance away when designing this car. But anyway, let's remember that the original statement used the word "influenced", which means quite a lot of different things to different people.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 11:52

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I have to agree with timothymcn.

While I'm sure the idea of looking at other company's cars gets 'knocked out of them' in some sort of official sense, the fact is, there are many cases were that just doesn't seem to be true.

For example... I see similarities between the Ford Fusion and Aston Martin models.

And the first gen Lexus LS400 definitely had some design traits reminiscent of the the Mercedes 300E (W124).

And let's not forget how in the 1950s, EVERYONE needed to have tailfins on their cars.

Do you seriously think that 3+ manufacturers just happened to come up with tailfins all on their own all at the same time and it was just pure coincidence?

I don't believe that.

I believe that it varies depending on the brand and company. For BMW, Cadillac and Mercedes today? Definitely they put a ton of effort into having a unique look for their brand.

For Lincoln, Ford, Lexus and other brands and anything Chinese? They have definitely been guilty of using design elements used elsewhere first.

jeebus > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 11:55

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I had a guy come up to my car because he actually thought it was a Maserati. I thought he was dumb.

Forgetnomore > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 11:58

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Those tail lights look very sad.

Burrito de EJ25 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 09/02/2013 at 12:16

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Except, again, they explained where the design came from, and that was the 2000GT, the 800, and the EA86.

Goatsausage > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 12:25

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this is a case when idolizing ones favorite car just goes a bit too far..

mikebrz > Nibby 09/02/2013 at 12:33

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I have both and I assure you my Prius does not have Low Profile Michelins

mrd > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 12:35

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Influenced or not they have overall similarities . Of course God is in the details.

Mikeado > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 09/02/2013 at 12:40

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The only similarity between the Fusion and Aston Martins is the grille, which evolved from Ford Europe's "Kinetic Design" like the rest of the car did. Look at the current/outgoing Mondeo.

When the Japanese started making cars, they did copy Europe and America, but they copied to learn, and then developed their own ways. The first LS was Lexus's first full-size luxury car, so like the Hyundai Genesis or Equus, they were conventional with the styling at first to try and fit in.

On that note, yes, there are fashion trends in industrial design. This is not news. At the moment it's glitzy headlights and big grilles and lots of surfacing. Previously it was tailfins and round headlights. In the '80s it was straight lines. It happens. Identifying what's deemed to look "modern" is important for mainstream models so that you can attract more buyers.

Mikeado > SPNKiX 09/02/2013 at 12:49

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I know they use rival cars as benchmarks and do some "reverse engineering" on any new or advanced features, but that's all engineering stuff. In terms of design, they don't just look out the window and say "oh hey, let's just do that."

I really don't think they were influenced by Maserati. It's a coincidence as it so often is.

fintail > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 13:01

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Outside of China and...Korea?

Steven Phillips Photography > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 13:11

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Ehhh, probably not. And I can't help but wonder if you're just trying to direct traffic to your site.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 13:12

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I wouldn't say all Japanese did... just by varying degrees at different points in time and also depending on the model.

While the LS400 looked like a Merc ripoff, the original Infinity Q45 looked like a design-in-Japan and not-copying-anybody car to me. In my mind, the Q45 should have been the bigger seller over the original LS400.

But that's just my opinion.

As for the Kinetic design language... giving it a title didn't change the fact it shows designers sometimes DO look at cars from other companies for inspiration.

And I'm making a distinction between 'inspiration' and 'copying'.

Speedmonkey > Steven Phillips Photography 09/02/2013 at 13:14

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Fine. I thought it did. Particularly the bonnet bumps over the front wheels and the haunches. The proportions are slightly different because the GT is much longer. I tried to upload the photo but it came out as a ? in a blue box because its so long. Whatever, Matt shared it so he's obviously got no problem. My other main post today has no link back to my site - to be honest I thought that was the one he might share

Nibby > mikebrz 09/02/2013 at 13:18

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I know they're not the same tires. I'm just being silly.

My parents have a 2010 Prius; I got some Michelins around 35k miles to replace the stock Toyo ones. So much better.

ZechT > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 13:20

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The front end of the BRZ/FRS looks like the LFA, which makes sense becauase Toyota makes both.

GrauGeist > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 13:38

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They are both low-slung long-hood short deck sport coupes, but no, not really. The Subaru design team focused on low CG and low MOI based on the advantages of a N-S flat-4 behind the front axle. Toyota skinned the car, and the concept development is well-documented. Visually, they started with what became the US Scion FR-S, and Subaru did a new front for their car.

So, no. Not at all, not even close.

Steven Phillips Photography > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 13:59

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That's fair then.

I can see the similarity in the front wheel arches, but that's about it for me. I think when you're designing a sports car like that it's tough at this point to be completely original, especially with the 3-door sloped hatch sports coupe look. The STi rear light post above I think is a more blatant design cue.

chrisp9119 > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 14:10

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Is that like saying the newer Ferrari's were influenced by Mazda's Furai desgin language? The F cars do have bigger smiles than the Mazda's.

Mikeado > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 09/02/2013 at 14:15

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Again, look at the Mondeo.

Now look at the fusion.

All they did was swap around the upper and lower grilles. That's where the grille comes from.

kyoo > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 14:20

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need to look at some of the older japanese cars lol.. i think top gear even had a segment on how japanese automakers were ripping off of euro designs (7:15)

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Mikeado 09/02/2013 at 14:22

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Yes... but that isn't the only example of designer 'inspiration' I used.

Also I'm not saying that getting inspiration from other cars/companies is a bad thing.

I'm simply disagreeing with the statement that car designers don't look at other cars/companies for inspiration and/or that any similarities are pure coincidence.

It happens far too often for it to be coincidence.

Oh and on the Fusion... they did more than swap the grills... they also changed the wheels ;-)

Foo2rama > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 14:22

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ZOMG a front engined rear wheel drive coupe looks similar to another one... 2000gt?

Cleary the side profile of the Mazer shows it totally stole from the RX8!!!!!!

Harrison Voorhees > Collin 09/02/2013 at 15:16

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maserati being the best? well have to agree to disagree on that one.

Sinanigans > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 15:44

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Love is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru

chrispiascik > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 16:02

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Those aren't regular Subaru tailights. The red is either an overlay or paint—OEM is all clear.

luckyletterman > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 17:54

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well, they're both blue

curbwatching > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 18:31

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I love the GT86, but it's the most boring great car I've ever seen. No matter what angle you view it from, your eyes wander off to look at whatever else is nearby.

Speedmonkey > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 19:39

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Taking a lot of stick for this! Most people say no. Without sounding shitty, I've had both parked in the drive for a few days each. Love both designs, love both cars in fact. The shape is classic coupe but the haunches, bonnet bumps and lines, angles of bodywork look similar to me. Obviously the Maserati is a lot longer so the roofline is proportionally lower.

But debate is good. I can take it!

MotoArigato > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 19:47

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Hmm, I actually agree with you and this comparison was one I made when I first saw the Subaru on the street. I still tell people I love the little bro because it reminds me so much of a Maserati coupe. Of course the Subaru isn't going to copy every little detail but the overall impression and "vibe" is right on in my book.

MotoArigato > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/02/2013 at 19:47

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We bought one of those cars (the Impreza) and those tails are my favorite aspect of the design, and I agree, they do look like a Maserati design, or even that of the new Viper.

Speedmonkey > MotoArigato 09/02/2013 at 20:07

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That's what I mean - the vibe. Cheers! Glad someone 'gets' it

Gavin Malm > Speedmonkey 09/02/2013 at 21:30

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." - Albert Einstein

andydrives2fast > Lachlan - #ForzaJules 09/03/2013 at 10:32

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GR Imprezas don't come from the factory with the red tinting on the taillights, thats aftermarket. But I do see the similarities

GreatPower > PRBot II 09/03/2013 at 11:53

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Normally I do too. I just don't think the Maserati is a beauty among its peers. Any Alpha Romeo makes the Maserati look like a dog.