Breaking news from Subaru USA. It looks like they are taking a whole new approach in how they develop their cars by building them according to media hype and rumors. They have announced they will take all the rumored features of the BRZ and build them into a real car. The result: an AWD turbo convertible diesel hybrid! Oh, it will also be a two seater…
If you think this is a joke you can see the actual press release from Subaru below and click the source link to see it on Subaru’s media site. No foolin’!
Cherry Hill, N.J., - Bowing to continued media and internet speculation, Subaru of America has confirmed that it will launch an AWD Twin-Turbo Convertible two-seater Diesel Hybrid BRZ for sale in 2015. The new model essentially takes all of the media and internet rumors surrounding the highly successful BRZ sports car and delivers them in one fell swoop.
A spokesman for the company said: “Having just launched the current model to widespread critical acclaim, we are tired of fighting off the constant speculation about what’s “next” and so we are just giving in and delivering all the speculation in one vehicle.”
The new model, which is expected to have a starting price, will however NOT come with a much anticipated rear back-up camera. The spokesman confirmed that after shoehorning two convertible switches (up and down) onto the fascia there just wasn’t room for any more instruments. The AWD Turbo Convertible two-seater Diesel Hybrid BRZ will come in a single color, noseeum black and will be hand produced at Subaru’s Brigadoon facility.
More denials about future BRZ variants can be found at media.subaru.com
The suspension wizards at KW Automotive have used their magical staff to bless the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ with a brand new “Clubsport” coilover system. The cool thing about “clubsport” setups is that they are made especially for those who daily their car during the week and hit the track on the weekends.
The Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ Clubsport coilovers allow for a 20mm-50mm drop (or .7 in to 1.9 in) in the front and the rear as well as having adjustability for rebound and compression dampening. KW claims that no matter how you adjust your ride height you will still have enough suspension travel to handle maximum loads and dynamic loads while driving. In other words you won’t have to worry about bottoming out with these bad boys.
The MSRP on these coilovers is set at $3759.99 which is defnitely pricy but you pay for quality! Hit up KWAutomotive.com or your local race shop if you want to order a set.
The Subaru Rally Cross team has just let the world know that their new partner is lifestyle clothing brand PUMA. To celebrate the now three car team got chased by a helicopter on a closed course while hooning their 600HP STi’s. Oh, did I just glance over the three car team thing? My bad. There are now three drivers under the Subaru/PUMA banner. One of them is returning drive Dave Mirra. I will let you watch the video to figure out who the other two are. You may be pleasantly surprised!
The KW Suspension gurus always work pretty fast but this time their work borderlines on unbelievable. Neither the Scion FR-S nor the Subaru BRZ are close to being out yet but KW has already created their pattented Varient 3 coilover system for the shared platform. I am convinced that they have a time machine and in reality they brought these back from the future! Anyhow, like Variant 3′s for other platforms the FR-S/BRZ version is completely adjustible and offers a .8 to a 2 inch drop in the front or the back. If you are one of the “First 86″ or on the list for the Subaru BRZ you may want to be pre-emptive yourself and order a set of these coilovers. The MSRP on these bad boys is about $2,500 but that may vary depending on the shop you order them.
KW Suspensions announce their Variant 3 stainless steel constructed coilover for the 2012 Scion FR-S & Subaru BR-Z.
The KW Suspensions coilover for the 2012 Scion FR-S & Subaru BR-Z enables the owner to lower their vehicle 20-50mm on the front axles and 20-50mm on the rear axles and retains enough travel to handle maximum load and dynamic loads during driving. Adjustable (and independent reacting) rebound and compression damping allows a truly individual performance driving setup for those technically demanding drivers. Compression dampening adjustment conducted in the low-speed range, while KW engineers set-up the high-speed pre-set, so decisive for driving comfort.
Taken into consideration with each KW coilover design are important characteristics such as quality and performance. We specifically design and engineer each vehicle application for the proper range of motion, min/max weight loads and min/max lowering. KW maintains all these requirements while retaining its performance handling characteristics. The stainless steel construction internally and externally provides long-term durability and corrosion resistance from the elements. All KW Variant 3 coilovers come with a limited lifetime warranty.
All KW coilovers pass stringent German TUV safety and quality testing standards. Each kit sold TUV approved.
In an effort to save paper and ruin work productivity for the rest of us Subaru has made “dynamic” versions of their brochures for each vehicle in their 2012 line. If you are wondering what a “dynamic brochure” is, imagine a car brochure in a digital magazine format. You can flip pages and all but there is added interactivity with videos, 360 rotations, and other nifty little features that are fun to play with. If this sounds like a good time to you and you are ready to totally blow everything else off on your desk then check out any of the following links below.
There have been many car show series that have come and gone but the one name that has always had the respect of the import car enthusiasts is “Showoff”. Import Showoff has been around since the mid-90s and while they aren’t quite the force they used to be the name will still bring out the core enthusiasts. The annual Nisei Week Showoff in Little Tokyo is the one show many of us still anticipate with real enthusiasim. Why does the Nisei Showoff stand out? On the surface it doesn’t seem like much. The Nisei Showoff is usually small (ranges from 100-200 cars) but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in quality and atmosphere. Nisei Week Showoff is the show that all the cars the kids jock on the forums go to. So as you can imagine we were stoked to make the trip out to Little Tokyo again for Showoff this year.
While the car count was slightly lower this year compared to last year, Ken Miyoshi and Mainstream Productions certainly did not dissapoint when it came to the quality and variety of cars on hand. There was everything from old school Mazdas and F2o powered classic Celicas to a Lexus LF-A! There was even some European flavor with a few Porsches and a Lamborghini Murcielago parked next to a Gallardo. There were a few classics that we never seen before thus cannot really describe to you but feel free to look through the pictures below and the full photo set in our Facebook gallery to see if you can recgonize everything we shot!
X Games 17 Rally has come and gone but we were on site to bring you as much of the action as possible. We are starting off by answering the question “What do the rally cars do the night before X Games?” The answer: They jump! A special jump session was set up to test out the 50 foot gap jump made entirely from dirt and gravel. We were there to take a few shots and we even compiled a short video of all the jump action. You can see a few pics and the video below. For a full photo gallery just visit our Facebook fan page.
By now you probably heard the news that a U.S. spec bone stock Subaru WRX STi beat the production lap record at the Isle Of Man TT. Well now we get to watch the whole thing thanks to Subaru releasing this awesome video of the history making event. Scroll down, turn up your speakers and enjoy!
Subaru Releases Dramatic Video of Isle of Man TT Circuit Record Lap
- YouTube video shows Driver Mark Higgins setting all-time fastest production car lap of 115.356 MPH on historic Mountain Course
- Higgins has the “Moment” at 150 MPH into Bray Hill
CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Subaru of America, Inc. has released a new YouTube video of the 2011 Subaru WRX STI setting an all-time course record for the historic Isle of Man TT Mountain Course. The 5 minute 25 second video highlights in graphic detail the speed and drama surrounding rally driver Mark Higgins’ lap that averaged 115.356 MPH. After the run, Higgins talks through the “moment” at Brey Hill when he momentarily loses, and then regains, control of the WRX STI at more than 150 MPH.
Driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI, Higgins achieved speeds of 162 MPH and a lapped time of 19 minutes 37 seconds over the 37-mile track, navigating more than 200 corners.
“This is one of the most daunting tracks I have ever driven, and the most terrifying,” said Higgins, a Manx native. “We were only able to get two practice runs and on our second practice I had the biggest ‘moment’ of my career. We had a passenger on the run and so coming into Bray Hill at more than 150 MPH, the extra weight compressed the suspension more than on previous runs and shifted the Subaru to the left and then right as I corrected–it was a real tank slapper. The whole thing went by so quickly that we never slowed below 110 MPH, and then we were back on the power. It was amazing and the helicopter shots really show just how hairy it really was.”
The WRX STI was a production US spec car running a standard 305 HP turbocharged boxer engine. Some safety modifications were made. The Subaru was equipped with a Lifeline fire suppression system, Hockley Motorsports roll cage, motordrive competition seats, Mintex brake pads (but stock calipers and rotors), and a louder open exhaust to warn spectators of the on-coming car. The speed limiter was turned off to allow a higher maximum speed; off-the shelf Tien springs and dampers were added to accommodate the numerous high-speed jumps on the circuit, sending the WRX STI almost four feet off the ground. The car ran on street legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires.
I just caught a whiff of this on the twitter-sphere. I don’t know what amount of alcohol inspired this blasphemy but the guys at Manchester Subaru in New Hampshire thought it would be a good idea to take a perfectly good Subaru STi and chop the top off of it, replacing it with a rag! WTF?! What’s more shocking is allegedly they are asking $75k for it! Despite it all I’m sure there is probably someone out there who will forgo owning something like a GT-R or BMW M3 in favor for a STi convertible. I just hope who ever that person is, donates their brain to science.
Listen up Suby fans! HKS just launched their ES Premium exhaust for the new WRX STi sedan. This is is an ES Premium model I’d look for this unit to be more about the sound than a massive jump in horsepower. There should be a few more horses on tap but this exhaust is more about the look and the sound, deep without being obnoxious is the way to go!
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