Ever heard the saying, "Appearances can be deceiving"? Check out the Impreza CZS Type-Z built by Subaru tuning specialist Zero/Sports for an example of that. You wouldn't give it a second glance if you walked past it at a car show because as it initially looks like a regular GRB Impreza. But take a second to check out its profile, and that's when things don't seem to add up.
Based on the Japanese Impreza Anesis sedan, this is a complete custom build, a car that Zero/Sports decided to create for the simple reason that Subaru hasn't thought about it yet. Subaru has been criticized for moving away from the sedan shape, not that the new hatchback hasn't been well received, quite the contrary actually. But the real hardcore fans of the Impreza WRX STI just can't forget the bloodline, the roots of which has come to be such an iconic car around the world. We thought Zero/Sports hit the nail on the head with this car, so we headed over to Gifu prefecture, just north of Nagoya, Japan, to check out the world's only GRB WRX STI sedan.
It's funny, as soon as you see the CZS Type-Z you can't help but think it makes total sense. It doesn't look out of the ordinary, it's precisely what a WRX STI should look like. This is a testament to Zero/Sports' flawless work in building this one-off creation from something that started off with a simple idea and a few sketches. The plan was not to go overboard on the project by making it too extreme but instead create something factory-looking, just like the car had rolled out of Subaru's warehouse.
A base four-door sedan Impreza Anesis was sourced and stripped down ready to receive the STI conversion, which started up front with the bumper. Wanting to showcase its own GRB products, Zero/Sports fitted its front bumper, which features a more aggressive design with a large central opening and a pair of air intakes and outlets. A Zero/Sports lip spoiler was also thrown on, helping with stability at high speed. Wider STI front fenders were then slightly modified and fitted, lining up perfectly with the front door line. The stock hood was then swapped out for an STI one with the signature air scoop. Completing the front-end conversion are the STI headlights, which on top of the HID projectors sport a meaner look thanks to a black housing, highlighting their aggressive design.
It was then on to the rear, where the majority of the work had to be done; a simple swap of the rear fenders from the hatchback just wasn't going to work. To create a factory look, blistering of this rear area required a lot of thought because the widening would have to start from the rear doors and end on the rear bumper. Zero/Sports tried to imagine how Subaru would have done it if they created a sedan version of the STI, and with this, the crew went to work.
The doors were shaped and widened following the general round shape of the rear wheel arches, initiating a smooth but progressive increase in width that seamlessly moves on to the rear fenders. There is no FRP to be seen here, everything is done with metal to ensure the best possible quality and finish, just like one would expect on a factory car. The rear Anesis bumper had to be slightly widened to meet with the rear end's increased dimensions. To tie everything in together, Zero/Sports created a set of angular side skirts, as well as some under spoilers for the rear bumper. The overall result oozes quality, so much so that nobody would ever think this was a custom creation. Even the inside part of the rear doors was carefully finished with the same type of sealant used by Subaru. The CZS Type-Z rides on 19-inch Yokohama Advan RS-D, which do a great job of filling up the wider dimension of the Impreza.
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