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Up close and personal with David Higgins' 2012 Subaru WRX STI Rally Car [w/video]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Subaru, Racing

Riding Shotgun With The Four-Time Rally America Champ

There's nothing quite like the sound of a high-strung boxer engine in full rage. Each dip of the throttle sends the opposed four-pot barking and popping like some sort of caffeinated prehistoric beast as David Higgins shoots his very unique 2012 Subaru WRX STI through a tight section of chicanes on the back side of the DirtFish Rally School's 315-acre playground. He's traveling at the approximate speed of a Japanese bullet train, if bullet trains spent the majority of their time sideways and on ball bearings.

An hour ago, this car was cleaner than a sundress on Sunday.

The cacophony can likely be heard all the way from Snoqualmie Valley to the hipster bars in downtown Seattle, but situated as I am in the passenger side of the car, all I hear is the rush of gravel pelting the machine's underbelly and my own laughter. Higgins has just sent his hyperactive triceratops pirouetting around a teardrop-shaped hairpin, pivoting the nose on a group of photographers at the apex. He took time to give the group a friendly thumbs-up before grabbing another gear and leaving them all in a cloud of Washington State silt.

An hour ago, this car was cleaner than a sundress on Sunday, meticulously prepared by the guys at Vermont SportsCar. We caught up with the team who built the machine that Higgins drove to his fifth Rally America Championship win last month for a look at what makes this car so damn fast.

Continue reading Up close and personal with David Higgins' 2012 Subaru WRX STI Rally Car [w/video]

Up close and personal with David Higgins' 2012 Subaru WRX STI Rally Car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Ken Block's Subaru-based TRAX STI is an alpine badass

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Subaru, Specialty

Ken Block's Subaru WRX STI-based snow tank - Click above watch the video

Yes, that's probably the first ever Subaru tank. We can't say for certain, but I think in this case we can go ahead and assume. Driven by none other then Ken "Gymkhana" Block. Why does it exist? To be the "ultimate backcountry shred car," of course. We think what that actually means is that you'll be able to not only access rather remote sections of your favorite mountain in the TRAX STI, but get there quickly and confidently, while performing any matter of black diamond stunts along the way.

Being skiers and not snowboarders (ahem), the part that really interests up is what lies beneath. And we're happy to say in the case of the TRAX STI, quite a lot. The snow beast begins life as just another Ken Block-prepped open class WRX STI rally car. It's then sent to Vermont SportsCar where the power is upped to 400 hp, EXE-TC Group N dampers are fitted to all four corners and (obviously, duh) the wheels are ripped off and replaced with cat tracks. There's also a four person sleigh (not shown in the video) that can haul four boarders plus their gear up a mountain. Says Block:

It combines a two of my favorite things in life: driving a rally car in the snow and snowboarding in the powder in the backcountry. It's incredibly fun having the ability to push the high-power Subaru on the slopes and to backcountry spots that normal cars could never go!

We're just hoping that at some point old Kenny boy will give us a slushy hot lap or two. And be sure to check out 0-60's interview with Ken where the famed rally driver delves into more of his snow mania. Full press release explaining the madness behind the TRAX STI after the jump.

Gallery: Ken Block Subaru TRAX STI

Continue reading VIDEO: Ken Block's Subaru-based TRAX STI is an alpine badass

VIDEO: Ken Block's Subaru-based TRAX STI is an alpine badass originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sticky Fingers: DIY carbon fiber

Dan Roth — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Technology

Fake trim is for the birds. Of course, there are cost considerations, and a piece of lower-cost injection-molded plastic is a lot cheaper than actual wood, metal, or laboriously laid carbon fiber. Faux trim can be awfully convincing - the metal-look trims in my S60 T5 are a far nicer touch than the faux wood that came in the lesser models. The north-woods car nuts at Hemmings have gotten the scoop on DIY carbon fiber from Vermont SportsCar, the guys that make Subarus fly. Since the learning curve is rather steep, we suggest starting off with interior trim pieces before going toward something more structural.

The process is similar to fiberglass, though a little trickier. You make a sandwich of cloth and resin and then cure it in a cheap and nasty autoclave. Yes, the word autoclave sounds fancy, but it amounts to little more than a cardboard box and a space heater -- incredibly dangerous if you're not paying attention. We like that. The added risk of torching your entire shop will make the completion of your first very crappy parts that much sweeter. Basic parts aren't that expensive to make - Hemmings reports the materials will knock you back about $100 or less. The Vermonters were even kind enough to include a link to a how-to, so if you get good enough, you can cash in by making body parts for all those clapped out Corollas and Civics.

[Source: Hemmings]

Sticky Fingers: DIY carbon fiber originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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