Subaru World Rally Team says goodbye to Pirelli

Subaru have confirmed that they will switch tyre manufacturers from Pirelli to BF Goodrich for next season’s World Rally Championship.

Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI) is proud to announce that the Subaru Legacy, Forester and B9 Tribeca have each been named a 2007 ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The award recognizes vehicles that provide the best protection for drivers and occupants in front, side and rear crash tests conducted by the Institute.

Aside from the wing delete—a smaller lip graces the trunk of the Limited—the exterior gets a new, deeper front spoiler sure to catch every parking log the car encounters, painted Enkei wheels (still wrapped in the same 225/45ZR-17 Bridgestone Potenza RE070s), and subtler black Brembo brake calipers with white lettering instead of the gold/red calipers of the regular STI.

Most of the upgrades are inside the car, where a black leather interior awaits, with a standard sunroof to heat the seats in the summer and seat heaters to do the job in the winter.

The firm’s engineers have tweaked the rally-derived 2.0-litre flat-four engine’s turbo­charger and fitted a new exhaust system. The result is 320bhp and 432Nm of torque - enough punch for a 0-60mph sprint time of 4.5 seconds and a 155mph top speed.

This latest special edition is based on the Impreza S204 revealed last year, but the RA-R is much more driver-focused. It gets special new springs, extra-thick anti-roll bars and Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers and huge 18-inch discs up front.

Of course, handling is only part of the package. The new 2.5 litre boxer engine is fitted with an intercooled turbocharger and nets 230 horsepower and 235 lb. ft. of torque. It’s an enjoyable engine: sort of Porschey-sounding with that roughness at lower revs characteristic of a horizontally opposed mill. Variable timing makes for a wider powerband, and in low load, low rev situations it propels the WRX along adequately, achieving around 9L / 100km. Squeeze the throttle and soon the boxer mill growls with the turbines high pitched whine overlapping and outpacing the exhaust note. It’s an amusing noise, and the vigorous acceleration is equally as likely to make you smile.

Subaru has announced a new special edition Impreza WRX STI in memory of rally hero Richard Burns who died in November last year of cancer.

Called the RB320, the new car features around £6,000 worth of extra equipment including the 320 PS Prodrive Performance Pack, yet costs £29,995 on-the-road – an increase of only £3,500.

Petter Solberg was the sole representative of the Subaru World Rally Team as the final leg got underway. The day started with a scare when Petter stopped the car prior to the time control at the start of the stage. When he jumped back in, he found that he couldn’t restart the engine due to an electrical glitch.

Petter Solberg finished 6th overall.

Petter Solberg has said that he is convinced the 2007-spec Subaru Impreza will be good and that this will allow the Banbury-based team to return to the front of the pack and challenge Ford and Citroen for event wins.

The SPT Performance Exhaust replaces the stock intermediate pipe and muffler with a larger, 3-inch stainless-steel system for better sound and performance. The SPT High Flow Air Intakes are made of cast aluminum and come with an anti-vibration mounting system. The SPT Heat Shield cools intake air to reduce power loss.