Honda Racing to start selling performance parts in March, led by forged wheels and a Borla exhaust

Honda Racing Corporation will begin selling performance parts and accessories in March, roughly two years after first announcing the programme, with the first batch confirmed ahead of next month's SEMA show.

The initial range covers the Honda Civic Type R, Acura Integra Type S, Honda Pilot and Honda Passport, and will be sold exclusively through Honda and Acura dealerships in the United States and the online Honda DreamShop. Prices have not been confirmed.

Forged wheels for the Type R and Type S

The headline upgrade is a set of lightweight forged aluminium wheels for the Civic Type R and Integra Type S, developed with Italian firm 2elle-engineering, which also supplies wheels to the Acura ARX-06 race car. They come in a grey finish with thin spokes, and an optional bronze finish inspired by the Honda RA 272 Formula 1 car.

Each wheel is 0.5 inches wider than the standard Type R and Type S item yet 5.5 pounds lighter, cutting 22 lbs of unsprung mass across the set. That matters because unsprung weight is the mass the suspension has to control directly, so a lighter wheel and tyre package lets the dampers react more quickly over bumps and kerbs. Several of the upgrades were developed at the Nürburgring, which suggests HRC expects them to survive track use.

Off-road wheels and a Borla exhaust for the SUVs

For the family models, HRC has produced an 18-inch forged aluminium off-road wheel for 2023-current Pilot and 2026-current Passport models, created with wheel supplier Titan 7. They launch in Machine Black and Techna Bronze finishes, carry 'Honda Racing' machined into the face, and each offers an additional 100 kg of load capacity over the standard wheel.

There is also a stainless steel exhaust made with Borla, and unusually it is aimed at the Passport and Pilot rather than the Civic Type R or Integra Type S. It increases flow rate by 6%, uses anti-drone technology and is intended to bring out the sound of Honda's naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6. Its compact design also lifts ground clearance by 1.9 inches, which suits owners who take their SUVs off-road.

Coilovers, brakes and a shifter still to come

More substantial parts are in development: adjustable coilovers and camber plates, a short-throw shifter, and upgraded Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers. Honda will show prototypes of these at SEMA.

The two-year gap between the original HRC announcement and the start of sales is worth noting for owners who have been waiting. The first wave is cosmetic and chassis-focused rather than a full performance overhaul, and the parts that change how a car stops and shifts are still prototypes. Buyers who want the Brembo kit or coilovers will be waiting beyond March, and no date has been given for those.

Nothing has been announced about availability outside the US, and no Australian pricing or launch timing has been confirmed.

Subaru has teased a new manual-transmission WRX for Japan, reviving the heavy-duty TY85 six-speed gearbox from the previous-generation WRX STI and confirming the three-pedal car will join the regular production lineup in Japan next month.

The move matters because Japanese buyers have largely been limited to the WRX S4 with a continuously variable transmission, apart from a limited run of 600 WRX STI Sport♯ cars that required buyers to win a lottery for the right to purchase one.

A permanent fixture, not a special edition

The upcoming model appears to make the manual a permanent part of the Japanese WRX range rather than a limited-run special. Subaru is not simply fitting the gearbox used elsewhere in the car: it is reviving the more robust TY85 transmission previously used in the old WRX STI.

The announcement comes with a development documentary explaining how the company brought the transmission back into production. The TY85 was on the verge of retirement as manufacturers phased out manual gearbox lines amid the industry's shift toward electrification. The project gained momentum after Subaru found that a supplier from a partner factory still had an operational transmission production line, and a small engineering team was assembled in early 2025 with a deadline of roughly one year to develop the new model.

Engine software revised, power unconfirmed

Beyond the gearbox, Subaru revised the engine control software to sharpen throttle response, aiming to make the turbocharged engine feel more like a naturally aspirated unit, with engineers drawing on knowledge from the company's racing programs. Development drivers reported that the manual, combined with the current WRX's stiffer chassis, delivers a noticeably different driving experience.

The TY85-equipped WRX is expected to retain Subaru's turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine. The company has not confirmed whether the revised engine management adds horsepower or torque, so a power increase should not be taken for granted. The current U.S.-spec WRX produces 271 horsepower from its boxer engine, but final Japanese-market specifications remain under wraps.

Subaru has also not revealed full specifications, pricing, or whether the car will receive additional suspension, brake or styling upgrades. For Australian buyers, there is no word either: Subaru has not announced whether this manual WRX, or the two other manual models it has planned, will be sold outside Japan.

Two more manual Subarus by 2027

The manual WRX is the first of three manual-equipped Subarus promised by the end of 2027. A new BRZ derivative will join it, building on last year's limited-run STI Sport Type RA and focusing on weight savings and sharper handling rather than outright power. An affordable five-door hatchback completes the trio; it could evolve from the Performance-B STI Concept unveiled in 2025, though Subaru has described it as an affordable entry-level model and has not confirmed it will be a hot hatch.

All three cars are part of the company's effort to make driving more engaging, but it is unclear whether any will be offered outside Japan. The contrast with Europe is stark: even as Subaru keeps the three-pedal experience alive at home, it is transitioning to an electric lineup in Europe from 2028. That split says as much about regulation as about enthusiasm. Japan's market and emissions rules leave room for a low-volume enthusiast model, while Europe's push Subaru toward battery-electric cars. For drivers, the practical consequence is that the manual WRX is likely to stay a Japan-only proposition unless Subaru says otherwise, and the sources give no indication that it will.