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Subaru WRX STI Type RA NBR Special is nearly as fast as a Porsche 918 Spyder at the Nurburgring

Subaru now claims to have the fastest sedan to circle the Nurburgring. Its (deep breath) WRX STI Type RA NBR Special finished a lap of the famed German racetrack in an incredibly fast 6:57.5. That's just half a second behind the Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar. Of course, this WRX STI is a specially-built racecar, a rather distant cousin of the WRX STI Type RA production car that takes its name from this race car. The Type RA NBR Special is an upgraded version of the car Subaru took to the Isle of Man time trial last year, where it broke Subaru's old record. The car was built by Prodrive, and it features a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four made for rally use. It now makes over 600 horsepower at 8,500 rpm, which is 50 more than it made last year. The aerodynamic aids have been updated, and they provide 650 pounds of downforce at the car's top speed. The car still has the power-adjustable rear wing from last year. At the press of a button, the driver can change the angle of the rear wing to reduce drag and increase speed on straights. Supporting the power and aerodynamic upgrades are 9-inch wide slick tires at each corner, and a rally-spec sequential transmission that can shift gears in 20 to 25 milliseconds. Related Video:

2015 Subaru WRX STI headed for Detroit, more WRX details leaked

The debuts of the 2015 Subaru WRX and the Legacy Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week are kind of hogging the Subaru spotlight, making it easy to forget that there is a more potent, more aggressive version of the small sedan waiting in the wings. And based on a rumor from Australia, we'll see the sportier WRX STI at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
The report comes from Motoring in Australia, which claims that a more potent version of the WRX will make its debut in the Motor City, and that it will do so with an even 300 horsepower (five fewer than the current STI) and 290 pound-feet of torque (identical to the current car). Aside from the more potent 2.5-liter turbocharged flat four, the STI should boast the regular spread of aesthetic upgrades and suspension, brake, chassis and transmission tweaks.
The standard all-wheel-drive WRX will sprint to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.

Ride along with Mark Higgins for a record-setting lap

Earlier this month, driver Mark Higgins, Subaru of America, and Prodrive broke their own record on the Isle of Man's Snaefell Mountain Course by setting a time of 17 minutes, 35 seconds. The attempt was approximately two minutes better than their previous record, which was set with a time of 19 minutes, 26 seconds. Now, Subaru has released the full, hairy in-car video of the record-setting lap that is narrated by Higgins himself. Listening to Higgins' 550-hp Subaru WRX STI scream to over 170 miles per hour is the best cure for a case of the Mondays, while watching the driver navigate over the course's less-than-perfect road will surely cause some anxiety. It may be a 20-minute long video, but every minute is filled with nail-biting moments and listening to Higgins' thought process through the course is mesmerizing. Incredibly, Higgins managed an average lap speed of 128.73 mph. And while that may seem impossible for mere mortals to match, Higgins believes he can go even faster. Subaru will surely be back with another WRX STI next year, but it's hard to fathom a car being able to go any faster around the Isle of Man. Related Video: