2006 Subaru Impreza Wrx 5-speed Alloys Rear Wing Spoiler 2.5l Intercooled Turbo on 2040-cars

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Prodrive builds new Isle of Man Subaru for record attempt

Prodrive have released photos of their new weapon for the Isle of Man TT Course. The three-time British Rally Champion Mark Higgins has set a number of records driving a Subaru on the famed Manx course throughout the years, and this time Subaru Technica International and Higgins are teaming up with Prodrive. Prodrive are famous for building Subaru's rally cars in the past, from 1990 to 2008, so the joining of forces gives the Isle of Man TT car an extra helping of motorsport magic. These days, Prodrive is also known for rally-prepared Minis and for building Aston Martin racing cars. They've had their share in giving UK-specification customer cars more power as well, along with creating a one-off, Subaru-based P2 sportscar to showcase their engineering skills and close ties with the Japanese manufacturer. This year's motorcycle event takes place on the treacherous 37-mile circuit in the end of May and early June. Past years' record drives have been especially memorable, and Higgins has been at it since 2011, first dipping under 20 minutes with a 19-minute, 56.7-second run five years ago – besting Tony Pond's 1990 laptime by over two minutes. The latest time for Higgins is 19 minutes and 15 seconds, so it will be interesting to see if the new car does it in less than 19 minutes. Related Video: Featured Gallery Subaru Prodrive Isle of Man Motorsports Subaru Racing Vehicles isle of man tt mark higgins road racing

2015 Subaru WRX gets down and dirty

Looks rarely tell the whole story. We'll admit to being a bit let down by the Subaru WRX and its rather conservative appearance - where were the gold wheels and the spoilers? Hatchback? World Rally Blue? But after seeing it in this video and hearing that signature, throaty growl while this red example drifts and slides around dirt roads, we're starting to get more excited.
While the growl is the main reason for watching the clip below (you should do that now), Subaru has also thrown in some information about the improved suspension, and increased power. Learn along with us, below.

2015 Subaru BRZ tS First Drive [w/video]

The Subaru BRZ is a brilliant driver's car: lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, tactile, nimble and fluid at speed. In terms of qualities that allow for dazzling point-to-point performance, it lacks only power and intense mechanical grip. In the US, options for tuning the BRZ to amplify its strengths or diminish its weaknesses are mostly found in the aftermarket. In Japan, meanwhile, driving enthusiasts can start with the factory-tuned model you see above: the BRZ tS. Designed and built with the engineering prowess of Subaru Tecnica International, the limited-edition tS is tuned for track competence over and above that of the base model. The intent of the tS wasn't lost on me as I stared over the front fender towards Turn 1 at Japan's Suzuka Circuit. Not just a proper place to test STI's claims of increased handling brilliance for its BRZ tune, but a perfect one. Suzuka is challenging – fast and technical in equal measure – and a playground for sorting out the margin of improvement from the standard that BRZ I know so well. Wait, Why Am I Here? Of course, Subaru didn't invite me and a half-dozen other motoring journalists to Japan for an academic exercise in JDM hotness. We were there at the behest of STI, as a first step in what will undoubtedly be a deliciously drawn-out expansion of the performance brand in North America. STI started life as the motorsports division for Subaru-parent Fuji Heavy Industries. But chances are good that you, like me, first encountered the three-letter-logo as a Cherry Blossom Red punctuation mark at the end of a WRX road or rally car. The world came to know STI through Subaru's 1990s WRC dominance and prominence in the Gran Turismo franchise. But outside of Japan the significance of the initials was known more as the designation of the top-dog Impreza, rather than a motorsport and performance engineering unit. The company is set on changing that and building STI into a performance brand that's as easily recognizable in America as M and AMG are today. That message was delivered a body in the STI Concept car at the New York Auto Show earlier this week, but as I mentioned then, we don't expect Subaru to turn up with a production-ready BRZ STI next year. First STI will deploy its parts catalog to the US, removing the half-hearted Subaru Performance Tuning parts business in the process. Next, according to a vague timeline presented in Japan, Subaru will offer a car like the tS to US customers in approximately 18 months.