Even though our lust for Japan's forbidden fruit has been sated by three generations of the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi EVO - and now, the Nissan GT-R - one guilty pleasure is still out of reach. The Subaru Forester STI has always held a special place in our hearts, combining a healthy dose of practicality with a dash of rally-bred performance, and that's carried over to the Forester XTI concept. Packing the WRX STI's turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder putting out 315 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, a cat-back exhaust, reworked suspension, STI wheels and a deep red/black paint job, the Forester XTI is begging to go into production. Here's hoping Subaru wises up and gives it the green light.

Celebration and disappointment -- that's what the Subaru Impreza WRX STI 20th Anniversary edition brings to the party. Celebration because it marks two decades of low-mounted, boxer-powered, all-wheel-drive fun and disappointment because the Takumi concept we saw earlier this month - assumed to be a glimpse of the future Spec-C WRX - was just an early unveiling of this limited edition Impreza.

Our Parisian friends over at LeBlogAuto were on hand at the Motorsport Japan 2008 event in Tokyo this past weekend, where FHI unveiled an Impreza-based "concept" dubbed the Subaru WRX STI Takumi.

Featuring upgraded springs and shocks, revised suspension bits, lightweight 12-spoke wheels, undisclosed engine tweaks and a slightly reworked exterior, the Takumi foretells the future of the rumored Spec-C variant, due to hit the market sometime next year.

Subaru execs at the show remained mum on if when the Spec-C would debut, but the smart money is on the Tokyo Auto Salon this January.

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Subaru WRX STI spec C

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Liberty GT tuned by STI

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Subaru Impreza WRC2008.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Subaru Legacy STI S402.

Mitsubishi and Subaru are entering round two of the newest battle for all-wheel-drive supremacy and AutoExpress has ringside seats. Both automakers are preparing hard-core versions of their turbocharged, rally-bred road rockets and that means more power, more aerodynamic mods and, in the case of Subaru, less weight.