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VIDEO: Time lapse build of Subaru rally car over 800 hours
Click above to view video after the jump
It's no secret that running a motorsports team is a lot of work, but probably most of us don't know how much time and effort it really takes. Just building the race cars can take hundreds of man hours, as evidenced by this stop-motion video created by the U.S. Subaru rally team. Starting with a stock 2008 WRX STI, the team strips the car down to its frame by removing the engine, drivetrain, interior and even the windshield. The complete transformation takes an amazing 800 hours of labor. Knowing that makes us cringe even more when we see one roll end over end. Follow the jump to watch the video.
[Source: Subaru]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Allan 8:06PM (8/13/2008)
Some guys get to have all the fun...
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Jared 8:27PM (8/13/2008)
Hmm, SWRT has it made. They get shells or at least stripped out cars from Subaru.
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William 8:48PM (8/13/2008)
Is the timing exactly accurate? Because if it is, I find it hard to believe that it takes the guys 2 hours to carry the modified hood to the car. Other than that, the video is pretty amazing. They really strip the car down to its bones.
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Robokon 1:49AM (8/14/2008)
It's man hours - not real hours. I was pretty confused at the beginning too. Since they had at least 8 guys there, 2 hours would = 15 mins... which is still a lot now that I think about it...
Either way.. it's still pretty cool!
William 12:05AM (8/14/2008)
I see. Thanks for clearing that up.
Justin 9:02PM (8/13/2008)
The U.S. Rally team driving a Japanese car... kinda funny.
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motorman 10:09PM (8/13/2008)
built in the USA correct ???
Jared 11:50PM (8/13/2008)
So you want Dodge to campaign a Caliber? I don't even think Dodge knows about rally.
Vintage 8:23AM (8/14/2008)
Jared, Dodge used to support it's old neon SRT4, which did VERY well in the Pro Rally events. You're clueless.
Cornelius 2:04PM (8/14/2008)
"Jared, Dodge used to support it's old neon SRT4, which did VERY well in the Pro Rally events. You're clueless."
Only in Group 5 (FWD/2WD) events. They can't compete in the open classes against the likes of WRX/STIs and Evos.
Maybe once Ford provides a US-spec AWD Focus RS, we may see American cars compete in events that people care about...
Or we can go back to the WRC where the French dominate...
zmf001 9:02PM (8/13/2008)
That is one of the best Time Lapse videos I have ever watched!
I love rally, and this just shows how much work goes into one of these cars.
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JGuan 9:03PM (8/13/2008)
I wonder what they do with all those parts. I'll take the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes and throw em into an 05 WRX Wagon. Death Wagon FTW.
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petercsanb 9:55PM (8/13/2008)
That's cool and all but what's really exciting is the WRC car being built, a whole different car entirely.
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Carlos 10:04PM (8/13/2008)
Video isn't working for me anyone have a link?
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adrenalnjunky 10:08PM (8/13/2008)
http://www.rally.subaru.com/timelapse.html
adrenalnjunky 10:08PM (8/13/2008)
That's one of Travis Pastrana's Rally America cars it looks like possibly his X-games car - but anyone else notice it rolled into the shop as a Right hand drive euro-spec car, and rolled out Left hand drive?
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Michael 10:20PM (8/13/2008)
hmmm... it doesn't look like there was any sound deadening under the carpet. maybe I missed it in the video.
Sweet video.
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Johnnie 11:56PM (8/13/2008)
Why on earth do they strip the car down from stock?
Why wouldn't they just obtain a shell from Subaru and then start from there. Seems like a total waste of a ton of stock parts.
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nward 8:31AM (8/14/2008)
They do a lot of welding on the existing chassis to strengthen it. Stock vehicles only have laser spot welds, which would not hold the car together in the rally conditions.
Will 12:11AM (8/14/2008)
They reuse a great many of those stock parts. For example, when the 08 rally car was first introduced at STPR in Wellsboro, the custom rear suspension linkages on Pastrana and Block's cars both failed on the first day. The team switched back to the stock pieces for day two.
Plus, there are a million small parts in the fueling system, the brakes, steering, wiring and the engine itself that are reused. For production-based rally like Rally America, it does make sense to just build the car on the assembly line, where economies of scale exist, and ship it as a unit. Then the rally crew has all the parts sitting in a convenient lump. On a WRC car, where absolutely everything in the car is custom and the shell receives much more prep, starting with a body in white is a logical idea.
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