Mark Higgins to Race Subaru Cosworth Impreza STI CS400 Against Supercars at Pageant of Power

Subaru will take on a wide array of supercars including the Ariel Atom V8, Lamborghini LP570-4 Performante, McLaren MP4-12C and Noble M600 at this month’s Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, which is billed as “the UK’s biggest celebration of power and speed”.

The Japanese company will compete in the race with its limited-edition Cosworth Impreza STI CS400, driven by none other than Mark Higgins, the former British Rally Champion who recently set the production road car lap record for the Isle of Man TT circuit in an Impreza WRX STI

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Posted on 05.32 / 0 comments / Read More

New Video Footage of Subaru Impreza WRX STI’s Record Run at the Isle of Man TT

After seeing the growing the attention and interest on Mark Higgins' record lap time -and not to mention, a very close call with a wall during the practice runs- in a U.S. specification 2011 Impreza WRX STI 305HP at the historic Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, Subaru’s American arm issued a new video of the event.

The former British Rally Champion achieved speeds of up to 162 MPH (260 km/h) and a lap time of 19 minutes 37 seconds over the 37-mile track, which runs through several small towns with trees, stone walls, and buildings and includes more than 200 corners.

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Posted on 16.29 / 0 comments / Read More

VIDEO: Mark Higgins' Awesome Save at 150MPH at the Isle of Man TT

We’ve already told you about former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins’ record lap on the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI in a previous article here, but today, we stumbled upon two in-car video clips, courtesy of Road & Track magazine.

Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...".

Commenting on the incident, Dominick Infante, National Manager, Product Communications, Subaru of America, said: “The WRX STI performed incredibly well at near flat out speeds and Mark drove impeccably. His save at Bray Hill at 150 MPH was some of the best driving any of us have ever seen." Buckle up and watch the two in-car-videos after the break.

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Posted on 07.03 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru Sets New Isle of Man Lap Record with Standard Impreza WRX STI

Subaru has managed to break the long-standing lap record for a production vehicle at the Isle of Man TT circuit set 21 years ago on June 6, 1990, by the late Tony Pond in a Rover 827 Vitesse, with a production-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI saloon driven by former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. Read more »

Posted on 11.09 / 0 comments / Read More

Too Close for Comfort: Subaru Impreza WRX Flips Over Right in Front of Spectators in Canada

A fun track day at the Toronto Motorsports Park near the town of Cayuga in Ontario, Canada, almost turned tragic for both the driver and many of the spectators gathered behind the safety wall when an older generation Subaru Impreza WRX flipped over after exiting a corner.

From the video, it looks like the driver of the Impreza took the corner wider and faster than he was ready for and as a result crashed into, or rather ran over, the safety haystack near the wall, which acted as a launching ramp lifting the car into the air only inches away from the spectators. The car then landed on its rooftop several feet away.

According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the Subaru, who was wearing a helmet, was shaken but...not stirred. But enough talking already. Follow the break to watch both the incident as it happened and the aftermath.

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Posted on 09.30 / 0 comments / Read More

Forza Motorsport 4: Here’s how they Record Car Engine Sounds

Long gone are the days when video game developers used simple electronic instruments to emulate car engine sounds for their racing games. Now, thanks to a dramatic increase in video games sales, which of course resulted in huge budgets, developers can justify the costs of recording the actual sounds of each car featured in their games.

For those of you wondering how it’s done, the tech-savvy crew over at Electricpig were invited to Redmond, Seattle by the creator of the Forza Motorsport gaming series, Turn 10 Studios, to witness the recording of a previous generation Subaru Impreza WRX STI.

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Posted on 06.49 / 0 comments / Read More

More Screaming Passengers from the 2011 Red Bull Car Drift Event in Lebanon

We don’t know about you, but we certainly enjoyed watching the video of a male passenger freaking out during a ride around a drift course, so we decided to do a little bit of online research to find out what it was all about. We discovered that the joy ride was part of the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 event and it took place in Lebanon.

The man behind the steering wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is 34-year-old Abdo Feghali from Lebanon. He is a professional rally driver who also participates in drift contests and events such as the one organized by Red Bull.

If you liked the first video we showed you, then follow the jump to watch the reactions of the same male passenger, this time sitting at the back between two women (oddly enough no one was wearing seat belts…), as well as some new footage of other people that took a ride including the beautiful lady you see pictured above.

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Posted on 17.01 / 0 comments / Read More

ISIS AM01 is a Subaru STI-Powered Coachbuilt Sports Car [with Videos]

This odd-looking creation is the AM01 and it’s the work of a Dutch company named Isis Cars that is led by Anton van Nunen and Max Alting Siberg. In an even stranger twist, the AM01 is based on another coachbuilt sports car from the Netherlands called the Saker.

Underneath the composite body shell lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine sourced from a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The four-cylinder unit churns out 275HP and a peak torque of 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), with power being transferred to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

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Posted on 09.07 / 0 comments / Read More

Power Boost and Standard Sat Nav for UK Market Subaru Impreza WRZ STI

Subaru has a treat in store for its UK buyers as the Japanese company is offering its Impreza WRX STI with a power upgrade and a satellite navigation system as standard with no increase to the on-the-road price of £32,995, albeit for a limited period only. Read more »

Posted on 05.53 / 0 comments / Read More

How Not To Customize: New Hampshire’s Subaru Impreza WRX STi Cabriolet

There was a special guest at Manchester Subaru in New Hampshire last week, and it wasn’t some B-list celebrity slumming it for a free car. No sir, it was a one of a kind 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STi convertible. You read that correctly, and we have the gallery to back it up.

And all I can say is wow. Remember when the boys over at Top Gear UK converted an old Renault Espace into a convertible? This is like that, but better. It’s somewhere between the ASC Helios (nee Chrysler 300C) and the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet in the, “so crazy it’s just might be cool” category.

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Posted on 14.30 / 0 comments / Read More

Not for U.S.: Subaru Launches 259HP Forester S-Edition in Australia

First unveiled in the 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney last October, the Subaru Forester S-Edition has now gone on sale in Australia, alongside the revised lineup of the Japanese compact SUV. Boasting a turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer engine delivering 259HP (193kW) and 347 Nm (256 lb-ft) of torque, the new range-topping model is the most powerful Forester ever to be sold down-under.

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Posted on 06.22 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru Drops a Carbon Roof on the Impreza WRX STI tS

Destined only for the Japanese market, the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI tS is the latest addition to the performance sedan's range. The highlight of the car is the new lightweight carbon fiber rooftop, but to sweeten the deal, Subaru's STI division also added some more goodies such as a lighter aluminum hood, a front lip spoiler, mutlispoke 18-inch alloy wheels, a rather discrete boot lid spoiler and a sportier tuned suspension. The body-hugging Recaro sport seats, upgraded trim and custom sill plates round off the tS package.

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Posted on 10.37 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru to Bring "Fastest STI Ever" and Other Performance Cars to SEMA

For a company that builds the wildly popular in the tuning scene WRX and STI models, Subaru appears to be taking it easy at this year's edition of the SEMA Show.

According to the official announcement, Subaru's offerings on the Las Vegas Convention Center floor will be highlighted by the "fastest STI ever"; a pre-production test model that lapped the Ring in 7:55:00 in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen this past summer (see video here).

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Posted on 08.16 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru unveils sportier Forester tS with STI parts in Japan

It might not be for "U.S.", or any other market outside of Japan, for that matter, but the new JDM Subaru Forester tS deserves our attention. Based on the Forester S-Edition, the tS has been upgraded with a raft of STi parts including a modified suspension that sits 15 mm lower than usual, 17-inch alloys, a front spoiler and the customary tS logos.

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Posted on 12.24 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru UK Presents 2011 WRX STI, Drops Impreza Name from Halo Model, Introduces Sedan Version

Subaru's UK arm has decided to make the WRX STI its own standalone model for 2011, dropping the "Impreza" reference from the road-going rally car's name. As in other markets, the UK's STI will again be available in sedan and five-door hatch variants and pack a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine making 300 horsepower and 407 Nm / 300 lb ft of torque.

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Posted on 06.59 / 0 comments / Read More

2011 Subaru Impreza WRX and STI Pricing Announced, New STI Sedan $1,000 Cheaper than 5-door Model

Subaru has just released pricing for its revised 2011 Impreza WRX and STI lineup and the good news here is that the price-tag for the newly introduced STI four-door sedan with its signature trunk wing is $1,000 less than the 2010 five-door hatchback model at $33,995.

The STI sedan is also offered in a Limited trim level with a starting price of $37,345 that includes leather-trimmed upholstery, 18-inch BBS alloy wheels, power moonroof and fog lights. The Impreza WRX STI Limited 5-door starts at $35,995, but comes only with the 18-inch BBS alloy wheels.

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Posted on 09.29 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru Impreza Berlinetta Rear-Engine Concept Study

For as long as we can remember, Subaru fans have been hoping and praying for a sports coupe from the Japanese maker. And from what we know up until now, they will get their wish when Subaru unveils its own version of the Toyota FT-86. But until then, here's a different conceptual study for a hardcore Subaru coupe from Italian design firm, Beestudio.

The idea behind the Subaru Impreza Berlinetta was to create a high-performance two-seater sports car using the Impreza STI as base, but with a twist; the sedan's platform would be turned around, meaning that the turbocharged boxer engine on the Berlinetta would reside at the rear-end of the car.

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Posted on 12.36 / 0 comments / Read More

New JDM Subaru Legacy B4 2.5GT tS [as in Tuned by STI]

Subaru's in-house tuning arm STI has added some flair to the latest generation of the Japanese market Legacy B4 sedan and its Touring Wagon brethren. The limited production Legacy 2.5GT tS (Subaru talk for Tuned by STI) models come with various cosmetic and performance enhancements, but unfortunately, no upgrades to the 2.5-liter flat-four turbo engine.

The list of performance goodies includes a Bilstein suspension, strut tow bars, sport exhaust system, and 18-inch multispoke alloy wheels shod in 225/45 R18 rubber.

On the outside, STI's team added a front lip spoiler on both models, along with a discreet boot lid spoiler for the B4 sedan and a roof spoiler for the Touring Wagon.

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Posted on 17.04 / 0 comments / Read More

VIDEO: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Test Car Laps the Nurburgring in 7:55.00, Faster than Panamera and CTS-V

Subaru has just released test footage of its soon-to-be-launched 2011 Impreza WRX STI sedan from the Nurburgring race track. Described by the Japanese automaker as the firm's "fastest WRX STI ever", the 2011MY turned the Nurburgring race track in an impressive 7 minutes and 55 seconds in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi Mäkinen.

For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter Röhrl, lapped the 'Ring with the 500HP Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac's 556HP CTS-V clocked a 7:59.32 lap in 2008.

But there's a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the 'Ring was in Subaru's own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.

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Posted on 21.32 / 0 comments / Read More

Subaru to Launch New Impreza WRX STI Sedan and Impreza XV in Japan

Following on from the world premiere of the four-door sedan version of the 2011 Impreza WRX STI at the New York Auto Show in April and the Impreza XV crossover at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Subaru has confirmed that both cars will be offered in Japan with sales set to begin this June.

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Posted on 19.29 / 0 comments / Read More