Brand-new STI for $38K
You can buy a brand-new Subaru WRX STI for $38K – if you're prepared to race it!UPDATE: 23/07/2015: Subaru has provided more details of its rally-ready STI, as follows... For your $38K, the 1480kg NR4 STI generates gains power and sheds weight. The 2.0-litre donk produces 227kW at 6400rpm and 422Nm at 4400rpm, up from the 221kW/407Nm of the local 2.5-litre STI.
Massive 17-inch Brembo brake discs are fitted all-round, sitting behind 18-inch alloys that are shod with 245/40/R18 tyres.
Similar to the road-going STI, the racer sports helical front and DCCD-equipped centre differentials, with a 41:59 front:rear nominal torque split that can be biased via a three-mode SI Drive system. The standard 3.9:1 final drive ratio remains.
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Subaru has confirmed the availability of special motorsport versions of its hero car, the WRX STI.
And they're a relative bargain, priced at only $38,000 (including GST) ex-Port Kembla. The catch is the cars can only be used for motorsport and must be caged. They cannot be registered for normal road use.
The official announcement follows our report linking Subaru Australia with an Australia Rally Championship return. Although the company still says it has made no decision either way regarding a return to local motorsport, it has confirmed that it is importing a limited number of the WRX STI racers for local motorsport use.
Subaru says the STIs are pitched to a wide range of enthusiasts, suiting "everyone from club amateur to the professional".
The decision to import these non-registerable racers was driven by demand from both driving enthusiasts and professional teams, the company says. Two are understood to have already been sold to Les Walkden Rallying, with another three going to NZ.
"Current production WRX and WRX STI have taken interest in these turbocharged legends back to the peak levels we saw in the late-1990s, and with that has come a whole new wave of interest in using them for motorsport competition," Subaru Australia Managing Director Nick Senior said of the announcement.
"These cars represent fantastic value for motorsport enthusiasts that want the amazing all-wheel drive advantage that has made WRX such a legend over the past 20-plus years," he added.
The vehicles, officially known as 'Subaru WRX STI NR4 Spec' are FIA-homologated to the FIA's latest NR4 regulations. This allows the new STI racer to compete in events up to WRC2; one rung below the elite World Rally Championship level.
Long-time Subaru combatant Possum Bourne Motorsport is developing a range of specifications to suit the purchaser's intended purpose, from club event through to rallying and circuit championships.
The race cars are powered by Subaru's 2.0-litre turbocharged flat-four, rather than the 2.5-litre version seen in the road-going STI.
Available in a choice of two colours – white and the legendary WR Blue – the motorsport STIs can also be pre-ordered with a locally-fitted FIA-compliant road cage, rendering them ready to race or rally once the purchaser has decided on the level of fit-out required.
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