An Ode To The Godfather Of The STi

The Subaru Impreza 22B Was An Insane Monster That Could Never Happen Today

Exclusively finished in Subaru’s mandatory “74F” blue—known through the years as Sonic Blue, Rally Blue, 555 Blue Pearl, WR Blue, and WRC Blue—the 22B was an ultra-rare collection of unique elements, combined one time, with one goal in mind: ultimate performance.

Unlike any other Impreza of the time, a larger-capacity turbocharged 2.2-liter flat-four engine, rather than a conventional 2.0-liter unit, was used to power the 22B. Apart from featuring a bigger bore and increased capacity, the 22B’s EJ22 engine was based on a closed-deck rather than an open-deck block, and was also home to a metal head gasket, forged pistons, sodium-filled exhaust valves, and hollow-stem inlet valves.

With an 8.0:1 compression ratio and 7900 RPM factory rev limit, the engine was officially listed as having 280 horsepower at 6000 RPM and 267 lb-ft of torque at 3200 RPM. And it was fast as hell.

 “Even though it’s 20 years on, [the 22B is] the statement that Subaru can punch above its weight,” Bui said. “Many years before it launched, not many people really can pronounce the ‘Subaru’ correctly. But since the launch of the 22B, it’s actually put it on the world map.”

(Jalopnik.com)

They Are Gettin' The Last Laugh, All The Way To The Bank

How Subaru Outsmarted A Bad Consumer Reports Review And Took Over America

[H]ead over to Road & Track, where you’ll find a lovely story about Subaru’s rise to glory in the United States. I won’t tell the whole story here, you’ll have to read R&T’s, but it does include a wonderful bit about how the Subaru 360 received an absolutely scorching review from Consumer Reports in 1969 (which you can read here).

In response, Subaru simply just worked around Consumer Reports. From R&T’s story:

So Subaru of America decided to focus on markets where Consumer Reports had less sway—as Automotive News puts it, “small towns where the reputation of the local dealer was more important than awareness of the brand he was selling.” The American importer targeted rural regions far away from the big cities. Places like Vermont, Minnesota, Washington state, New Hampshire and western Pennsylvania—where hardworking people on a budget might be willing to try a relatively-unknown brand offering cheap, frugal transportation.

That, plus some innovative four-wheel drive tech and an oil embargo helped jump start Subaru sales in America. It’s also why it is no coincidence that everyone thinks about Subarus when they think New England and the Pacific Northwest.

(Jalopnik.com)

There's One Very Good Reason

Toyota Should Never Turbocharge The GT86, And Here’s Why 

We're not just talking about the cliched 'balance' argument; there are sensible, logical reasons why Toyota should never give the GT86 a turbo 

Toyota has staunchly refused to oblige, partly because of balance concerns, and partly because it stands by the product it designed in the first place. That product is an old-school, lightweight(ish), flickable and talented sports car in the vein of a hard-top MX-5.

No one can argue the formula is a bad one. Take something that drives a lot like the one-million-plus-selling Mazda, stick a hard top on it for extra rigidity and then add more power. It’s pure genius… in theory.

Look again at the MX-5. It’s celebrated for breathing without a turbo; many of us still prefer it to the turbo’d Abarth 124 Spider, despite that car’s relative tonne of extra torque. That doesn’t stop us hankering after a well-executed snail conversion for the ND car, but the fact that there’s the choice at all is the best thing. The GT86 gives you choice.

(CarThrottle.com)

Choose Your Weapon - Subaru Edition

(Facebook.com)

I'd Daily The SS & Track The STi

These Are The Best Performance Cars On A $50,000 Budget

Subaru WRX STI $36,095

The WRX STI is not a refined and luxurious sedan. It does not offer a soft suspension setup to absorb road irregularities. What it does offer is Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, a 305-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer engine and the kind of handling prowess that will have you hounding supercars up a mountain pass. At $36,095 it undercuts just about all of its natural rivals and is available solely with a 6-speed manual transmission.

 

Chevrolet SS Sedan $46,625

The Chevy SS is no more. This big and brash V8 sedan was a characterful alternative to the anodyne and all too straight-laced modern turbocharged sedan and it will be sorely missed. The big and booming 415-hp 6.2-liter LS3 V8 gave it proper pace with 60 mph taking only 4.7 seconds and you could even have it with a 6-speed manual transmission. It wasn’t all old-school either, magnetic selective ride control and powerful Brembo brakes were standard fitment, a bit of good news is that they are still listed on Chevrolet’s website which may mean that there are a few SS sedans still waiting for a new home.

Complete list (CarBuzz.com)

No Manual? Really Subaru?

Levorg STI Sport

Look at the ones for sale in Australia. They’re actually not a bad deal, and what you get in return is essentially a Subaru Legacy wagon, with the addition of a 264-horsepower engine out of the regular Subaru WRX. Plus some sporty bumpers and everything. It’s a great looking car, too.

And then Subaru gives it a CVT. Only.

(Jalopnik.com)

I Agree With The Latter

Here's How The Forbidden Fruit Subaru WRX From The 1990s Drives Today 

There are two ways to look at it: either Subaru’s been sitting on its ass for the past two decades not innovating much and sailing casually on the fact that it sells cheap AWD drives to the masses.

Or maybe Subaru has mastered a solid recipe and decided to stick with it. Kind of like what Porsche has been doing with the 911 for half a century.

(Jalopnik.com)

They See Me Rollin' - Subaru Impreza Edition

(Petrolicious.com)

I Want To Know The Returns On Investment

This Is What A Subaru Impreza With $250,000 Of Modifications Looks Like

This 'Blobeye' Impreza has had the price of a house invested in it, and it's won Best in Show at quite a few exhibitions

Never has the saying ‘you can sleep in a car, but you can’t race a house’ been more apt. This 2002 Subaru Impreza ‘Blobeye’ has had roughly $250,000 invested in it. Many people would buy a house with that kind of cash, but Alex Witkin spent that figure modifying one of his cars almost beyond recognition.

Almost every part of the car has been changed or upgraded. The engine has been built completely from scratch, and the engine bay has had a lot of work done to achieve the end result. It has a custom-fabricated 10-point roll cage, the interior has been completely overhauled and it’s even been converted to a right-hand-drive car. As the car is in America and was LHD originally, we don’t really understand that change.

As you can see from the video, the car is completely road legal, but mostly used as a show car and to promote his business.

Is it a waste of money, or well spent?

(CarThrottle.com)

I'll Take A WRX STi, Please

By The Numbers: 2017 Honda Civic Type R Vs Focus RS, WRX STI, Golf R

(Jalopnik.com)

Some Cousin's Just Cruisin'

(BroBible.com)

They See Me Rollin' - Subaru Edition

Subaru Impreza P1

The cooking versions of the first generation Impreza have a place within many of our hearts and potentially the greatest variation was fettled by Prodrive. Known as the P1 (Prodrive One), this limited-edition rally car for the road was strictly a UK model with only 1000 examples built. Choosing the WRX Type R STI chassis due to its stiffer coupe layout, the suspension setup was tweaked to deal with the quality of British roads and power was also increased to a healthy 276bhp.

Built during an era when two British drivers won WRC titles behind the wheel of Prodrive-built rally cars, the P1 is a true B-road hero and has begun to appreciate in value due to its ties with the motorsport world. It also showed that Prodrive could easily turn its hand to road car tinkering, opening the door to some serious interest from other aspirational/jealous manufacturers.

(CarThrottle.com)

No Turbo, No AWD, No Care

Subaru's BRZ STI Sport Concept is not quite what we've been waiting for

It's an STI Sport, not a full-blown STI. Sorry, guys.

Essentially, the BRZ STI Sport Concept sounds like a lukewarm example of the lovable rear-driver, taking parts of the tS driving experience and marrying it with some interior and exterior enhancements. We can see those latter elements in the sole image the company released – the silver concept car gets a fresh body kit that's less aggressive than 2015's Performance Concept. The sole exterior image shows a subtle chin spoiler and a more prominent upgrade to the side sill. Smaller changes include STI badges in the lower grille and side grilles. In the cabin, Subaru apparently added dark red upholstery. All of this gels with the aesthetic the Levorg pioneered.

On the performance front, we see what look like Brembo-branded red brake calipers, but that's about as certain as we can get with mechanical upgrades. What we can't see are likely modest performance tweaks, focusing on the suspension. The Levorg STI Sport, for example, got adjustable Bilstein dampers, firmer springs, and a tweaked power steering system.

(AutoBlog.com)

So That's How They Managed To Stay Afloat

How Subaru saved itself by marketing to the gay community

Almost everyone who's in the car community, and even people that aren't, have probably heard the stereotype that lesbians drive Subarus. What you may not realize is that stereotype was fostered by Subaru, and it helped make the company relevant again in the '90s.

This is the story told by NPR's Planet Money podcast. Apparently, as the company was trying to figure out who was buying its cars, the marketing folks discovered that gay and lesbian people were a large segment – along with all those outdoorsy types. The discovery led to subtle advertising directed specifically at what we now refer to as the LGBT community, which in turn led to more sales to gay and lesbian consumers. There were other components to Subaru's sales strategy in the '90s, but this particular campaign was an important part and quite successful. Thanks to that success, today we still have Subaru around building reliable, all-wheel-drive transportation, as well as rally-inspired sport compacts.

(AutoBlog.com)

The Strangest Part Of This Race Car

5 Amazing Technical Details On The Subaru WRX STI TT Record Car

Subaru and Prodrive have united to produce a modified WRX STI to smash the car lap record around the Isle of Man TT course. I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with the car to see what components make up a car capable of getting around the island at a 128.7mph average speed

Nokia safety phone

• Prodrive needed a failsafe solution for communication if the on-board radio system was to fail at any point around the course. Only for emergencies, an old-school Nokia 6310 is ready and waiting in a holster if Mark Higgins ever needs to contact his support crew from a remote position on the island. It’s probably the strongest component on the entire car! 

(CarThrottle.com)

Did You Know - Subaru WRX STi Edition

Everything You Need to Know Before Buying a Subaru Impreza WRX STI

So you want a peanut eye or hawk eye WRX STI? Our buyer's guide will give you an idea of what to look out for.​​​

What to look for

The later 2005 model looks much the same as the '04 (Subaru enthusiasts call these years "peanut-eye"), but comes with the 5x114.3 bolt pattern that would extend over the next decade, that all-important immobilizer, and a revised interior. It's a little heavier than the '04, but otherwise identical.

For 2006, Subaru switched up grille to something resembling an upside-down Alfa-Romeo, and moved the torque split further forward to 41/59 front to rear. The 2006s also have unique aluminum front control arms, offering bragging rights more than an actual performance enhancement. Specific issues only really apply to the easily-replaced liquid-filled motor mounts. Some Subaru fans consider the '06 to be the best year for both the STI and the WRX.

What to avoid: 

A bad first impression isn't the end of the world. Subaru paint was apparently applied by the good people at Crayola, and is highly susceptible to chipping, fading, and scratches. The body panels pick up a dent from just looking at them too long, so spots and ripples aren't necessarily accident damage, just Subaru cellulite. Something to watch for is the paint on the Brembo brakes; if discolored by heat, it's likely the car's been on the track.

The STI is also a very noisy car to drive. All Subarus more than three years old develop rattles–it can sound like there's a mariachi band fighting a rattlesnake in the dashboard. Add in a loud transmission and little sound deadening material and you might go a little deaf.

However, there are things to listen for on any test drive. First, almost all STIs can suffer from the rear struts clunking over bumps. This issue can be resolved with disassembly and lubrication, but it's a pain. Of greater worry is any actual grinding coming from the transmission. A little clutch judder is normal, and the gearbox can be notchy, especially when cold.

You should, of course, have any car you're considering for purchase inspected by a reputable mechanic. In particular, you may want to have a compression and leakdown test done as the STI is very susceptible to knocking (either from bad fuel or a poor tune). 

(Road&Track.com)

I Wouldn't Mind Either Of These

Here Are Ten Of The Best Sleepers You Can Buy For Less Than $5000

2. 1999 BMW 540i

This BMW 540i looks just like a base model, two-decade-old 5 series, but it packs a punch more resembling a fire-breathing muscle car than anything else. I’ll let Ricardo Landgrave explain:

With a short shifter, new diff, M60 manifold and performance tyres, it should give many cars a run for their money.

It’s also a BMW, so people will assume it’s broken down. Best sleeper ever.

With those non M Tech bumpers, pre LCI look and normal wheels, nobody expects a V8, just remove the badge.

Expect high maintenance costs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

8. 2006 Subaru Legacy GT

This Subaru Legacy is what happens when the STi grows up and gets a real job. I’ll let TheUkrainian1 explain:

mid 2000's Subaru Legacy GT. I prefer the wagon flavor (mainly because I have one). They can be found for under 5K, and a good amount of STI parts can be used on them so the aftermarket is quite large. Tons of room, AWD, a turbo, heated leather seats, etc.

Complete list (Jalopnik.com)

Cause We're Brothers, Identical Twins As You Can Suby

(CarThrottle.com)

Your Chance To Own A Car Ready For Almost Anything

You can own this legendary Subaru rally car 

Straight from the '90s, here's a familiar flash of rally blue.

(AutoBlog.com)

Godzilla's Still Is King (Of Cars)

Is the Nissan Skyline the most iconic Japanese car ever?

Organisers of Japfest carried out a survey to ask its fan base which Japanese car deserves to be recognized as the most iconic. Nissan’s legendary Skyline took the top spot.

The Toyota Supra came in second place, while third on the podium was occupied by the Subaru Impreza WRX.

(TopGear.com)