Subaru has revealed what it calls its “most outrageous WRX STI ever”. They’re saying it’s a “custom-built tire destroyer” that was built for one purpose (it’s a good one). Subaru Motorsports USA driver Travis Pastrana will take the wheel of the car in the next installment of Hoonigan’s Gymkhana video series.
The build is the result of an ask by Pastrana, who takes over the Hoonigan series after Ken Block stepped aside. Pastrana is a world-renowned driver with experience in rally, rallycross, supercross, freestyle motocross, NASCAR, and stunts driving. Subaru was tasked with delivering a car more extreme than any other vehicle that’s ever been featured in a Gymkhana film. The automaker paired with Vermont SportsCar to push a production-based sedan to the limit of what was possible.
The exterior of the car features a cabin body with a “wildly aggressive” wind tunnel-proven aero package. Its custom-made Subaru boxer engine sits under the hood. It also has a flame-spitting hood exit exhaust, long travel suspension, and a race-ready interior built to Pastrana’s specs. It rides on Method wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan tires.
“We’ve never had the opportunity to do this before, to build a car with no restriction,” said Pastrana. “Engine, suspension, aero—everything is unlimited, clean sheet. It’s crazy fast, easy to control and get sideways and it was perfect out of the box in testing. Gymkhana is a new challenge for me but I want to raise the bar, and this is the car to do it.”
“When we brought Subaru back to Gymkhana, we knew we had to build something outrageous,” said William Stokes, Motorsports Manager, Subaru of America. “Travis always wants to push the limits, so we knew from the outset we weren’t going to do this with a rally or rallycross car. This was an opportunity for us to redefine what an STI could be, and the results speak for themselves.”
