Subaru WRX STI hits Bathurst with CGI

And likely mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

That possible four was seen in the Levorg concept at Tokyo show in November with outputs of 221kW and 400Nm, a rise of 21kW and 50Nm over the 2014 WRX revealed at LA show the same month and test-driven in December.

But chances are it will either be a revised version of the carryover turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder or a higher-tuned version of the new WRX's 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder.

Subaru plans to take the wraps off the new WRX STI on January 14 at the Detroit motor show.

But it's just been given an early unwrapping with images from just about every angle leaking onto the internet.

The photo set has the WRX STI in its WRC hero blue livery.

And shows the visual differences that set it apart from the standard WRX -- the signature STI cue being the massive rear wing.

It also gets the gold-toned STI wheels -- behind which we expect will be upgraded brakes -- and more aggressive bodykit treatment, likely to be matched by a similarly firmer-dealing suspension set-up and vehicle dynamics technology.

We'll have to wait until the show (or another leak) to find out what's under that World Rally Blue bonnet.

These pictures show the STI tackling some of the unique challenges at Mount Panorama, from the twisties out of The Dipper to the left-right flick through The Chase. Subaru says they are pictures that celebrate the car’s motorsport heritage, moving on from its World Rally Championship days into a new era of track racing.

Except... Except the STI has never been to Bathurst. Not yet, anyway. "We haven’t had a car in Australia. This is all news to me," the managing director of Subaru Australia, Nick Senior, tells Carsguide. "There definitely wasn’t a photo shoot."

Which means the pictures are faked, in the nicest possible way of course. And it’s a flattering tip to Bathurst. They are new-age COMGEN files, which means they are computer generated images which combine pictures of a real STI inserted into a fake background.

Mount Panorama is easy to find in the world of computer gaming, which is probably where the pictures originated. The shots are clear and full of impact, although missing the latest advertising billboards - we know for sure after racing for Team Abarth in the Bathurst 12-hour race - and any on-track officials or spectators.

But the pictures have got some people thinking at Subaru, especially at the STI race team which has built a car to compete in this year’s Nurburgring 24-hour race in Germany. The racer is based closely on a road car, although it does have big wings and lightweight panels, and it would sit comfortably inside the rules for the 2015 running of the Bathurst 12-hour.

This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover