Subaru to Race Impreza WRX STI at 24h of Nurburgring

Fans of Subaru will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's STI motorsport division will take part at next month's 24-hours of the Nurburgring endurance race with a specially-prepped Impreza WRX STI hatch that will be campaigning in the SP3T class for cars with 2.0-liter turbo engines. Among other improvements, the race-spec Impreza WRX STI features numerous body stiffening components, the necessary safety equipment and weight-reduction measures.

Behind the steering wheel of the Impreza WRX STI will be four professional Japanese drivers: Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori and Koji Matsuda

Entrant name	SUBARU TECNICA INTERNATIONAL(STI)
Participating car	SUBARU Impreza WRX STI(GRB type)
	Horizontally opposed 4-cylinder EJ20 2.0litter DOHC turbo / SYMMETRICAL AWD
Suspension	Front - strut, rear - double wishbone
Vehicle manufacturer	STI
Team director	Hideharu Tatsumi (STI General Manager of Vehicle Experiment Division)
Drivers	Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori, Koji Matsuda

Source: Subaru , Via: Worldcarfans

Prodrive enters Impreza WRC2008 in Scooby Sprint Championship

UK Subaru-enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's former rally-car partner, Prodrive, will participate in the 2009 Scooby Sprint Championship with a Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 World Rally Car. The Scooby Sprint is a one-make series for Subarus in the UK that allows private road car owners to compete against the clock as well as with some of the fastest and most modified Subaru cars around.

To get an idea, according to the organizers, the WRC2008 Impreza will not be the most powerful car to run in the Scooby Sprint as there are entries running more than 800-horsepower! Prodrive will enter the five-round competition as a 2009 Constructor Team.

Steve Smith, Prodrive car sales manager, said: "We are fully aware that there are some very highly tuned Imprezas out there and we know every one of them will be aiming to beat us. But let's be clear, we are not coming along for the ride."

Prodrive Reveals Gronholm's Subaru Impreza WRC

The car pictured above is the Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 with which former World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm will return to the WRC for a one-off race at the Rally of Portugal. Gronholm will test the Impreza in Wales this week, before undertaking a full two day pre-event test in Spain next week. This means the two-time World Rally Champion will have three days to familiarize himself with the race car before starting his first World Rally Championship event in nearly 16 months.

According to Prodrive, the Impreza WRC2008 is virtually identical to the car used by the Subaru World Rally Team at last season's WRC. "We have only been able to make minor changes to the car because of homologation restrictions, with the most significant difference being the Ohlins dampers," said Prodrive technical director, David Lapworth. "In a perfect world, Marcus would have had far more time behind the wheel, however, with his years of experience, I am absolutely confident he will very quickly find a rhythm in the Impreza," he concluded.

New Subaru Impreza WRX STI A-Line with Auto Box

An STI with an automatic transmission - what's the point in that? Well, while we may disagree with the option, Subaru apparently believes that there's a crowd out there that prefers the ease of automatic shifting. Badged the Impreza WRX STI A-Line, the latest addition to the current WRX STI model combines the 300-horsepower 2.5-litre turbocharged Boxer engine with a five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts. The model goes on sale nationwide through Subaru dealerships today in Japan

In addition to the new tranny option, the WRX STI A-Line has received some refinements to enhance comfort as it is equipped with standard 8 way power adjustable front seats and a new body color while Subaru also presented a new "Satin White Pearl"

Specifications:

-Engine type: Horizontally-Opposed 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged engine

-Displacement: 2457 cc

-Maximum output: 221kW (300 PS)/6200 rpm

-Maximum torque: 350 Nm (35.7 kgf·m)/2800～6000 rpm

-Turbo type: Single Scroll turbocharger

Subaru to Unveil Custom-Made Impreza WRX STI for Rally Champ, Travis Pastrana at Chicago Show

At this week's Chicago Auto Show that runs from February 13 to 22 at the McCormick Place, Subaru will reveal a one-off customized version of the Impreza WRX STI designed to commemorate its factory rally driver Travis Pastrana's third consecutive Rally America National Championship. The Japanese automaker worked with Vermont SportsCar, builder of the team's rally car, to create the brilliant yellow "199" liveried WRX STI that has been enhanced with an array of Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI parts, along with unique custom pieces.

To improve the car's handling, Subaru fitted the Impreza WRX STI with an SPT front strut tower brace, SPT lower chassis brace, and BF Goodrich G-Force Super Sport A/S 275/35 ZR18 tires on Work Evolution XD-9 18-inch alloys in custom satin black. Under its custom-made carbon fiber hood, Pastrana's WRX STI is equipped with a number of modifications including a performance-tuned ECU and custom Down Pipe that promise to add a few more ponies to the 2.5-liter intercooled turbo Boxer engine that delivers 305-horsepower in stock form.

On the outside, apart from the yellow finish and the graphics, the Pastrana's WRX STI gains a carbon fiber hood and rear wing, a sport mesh grille, STI front chin spoiler, exhaust finishers and a set of PIAA 2100 HID driving lights and rally-spec mud flaps.

Inside, the custom blue Alcantara interior upholstery is accented with Pastrana's traditional yellow piping and "199 Pastrana" embroidered logos in yellow thread that matches the vehicle's exterior. Yellow stitching is also used to accent the steering wheel, shifter boot and parking brake handle boot. Other additions include an STI short-throw shifter, carbon fiber patterned interior trims, a rally map light, co-driver foot rest, a high-end audio system with Kicker amplifiers and speakers as well as an Xbox 360 mounted under the front passenger seat.