2003 Subaru Baja Base Crew Cab Pickup 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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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:

Subaru teases all-new Legacy ahead of Chicago debut

Following the debut of the Legacy Concept at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, it appears Subaru is now ready to show us the real thing. The Japanese automaker has just confirmed that a production-spec Legacy sedan will officially bow at next week's Chicago Auto Show.
All we have to work with right now is the teaser image you see above, as well as some general overview-type stuff from Subaru in regards to its new model. According to the company's press blast, the next Legacy "is a midsize sports sedan which offers enhanced driveability and functionality while achieving a design required for a flagship model with a quality feel." In other words, it's a brand-new Legacy.
The Legacy Concept was a decidedly attractive thing, combining coupe-like styling elements and a new design that sort of reminds us of a Buick Regal GS. Of course, Subaru has a storied history of creating excellent-looking concept cars, only to later unveil very watered-down production versions, so we fully expect its new midsize sedan to be quite a bit more boring than the show car we saw in LA. Let's hope we're wrong.

Catch the rally bug in one easy step at Wales Rally GB

You should go watch a rally. Yes, you. And by "a rally," I mean pretty much anything that could be considered a rally. Is there a grassroots rallycross event near you featuring some $500 beater Subarus mucking about in a field? Go to that. Or a full-blown WRC event. Set your coffeemaker to kick out some extra-potent brew, because you'll probably have to wake up early and drive for a bit to see something. But trust me, it'll be worth it. In Europe, with hundreds of events concentrated in a relatively small geographical area, in all sorts of environments (snow, forest, dirt, you name it), this is a lot easier. North America is huge. Your TV is closer, your couch is comfortable. That's the challenge for hooking new rally fans in America. So, why get off your tail? I travelled to Wales, the tiny windswept country on the western edge of Great Britain, to find out. First, we stopped by David Higgins' rally school, parked at the top of a sheep-studded ridge in the middle of nowhere. This was a two-part trip. The first bit was a visit to David Higgins' rally school, parked at the top of a sheep-studded ridge in the middle of nowhere. The second part was the main event: watching the headline rally event in the UK – WRC Wales Rally GB – in what amounted to a tropical storm at winter temperatures. Despite the challenges, it was one of those trips that left me smiling the whole time. At the Higgins Rally School, we had a very abbreviated experience, essentially the highlights of a multi-day course condensed into a few short hours. The first was learning how to do J-turns on mud, in an old UK-market Ford Escort ... with right-hand drive, and so, a left-hand manual shift, which made it much harder to nail the technique with the "wrong" hand. Then, it was off for a lap with an instructor in the passenger seat in a rear-drive-converted Subaru Impreza WRX – flying through gravel, mud, within spitting distance of piles of logs. That was exhilarating. Or at least, it was, until the ride-alongs with the pros. Jimmy McRae, a storied driver and father to the late and even more storied Colin McRae, was behind the wheel. The car was an early 1990s Prodrive-built Legacy, a real works car, and it made demonic noises as McRae flew through the woods, mostly sideways.