Subaru Impreza WRX STI Hatch Concept Study

Needless to say, it doesn't take much effort to come up with a better design than Subaru's original Impreza hatch, but that wouldn't be fair to the creator of this independent concept study. This realistic computer generated proposal for a more distinct and sporty-looking Impreza WRX STI with a wedgy-shaped three-door hatchback body is the work of an artist that goes by the alias 'Grid'. Check out the rest of the photos in the gallery after the jump and tell us what you think about the study by leaving a comment below.

Source: Grid , Via: Jalopnik

Subaru to Race Impreza WRX STI at 24h of Nurburgring

Fans of Subaru will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's STI motorsport division will take part at next month's 24-hours of the Nurburgring endurance race with a specially-prepped Impreza WRX STI hatch that will be campaigning in the SP3T class for cars with 2.0-liter turbo engines. Among other improvements, the race-spec Impreza WRX STI features numerous body stiffening components, the necessary safety equipment and weight-reduction measures.

Behind the steering wheel of the Impreza WRX STI will be four professional Japanese drivers: Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori and Koji Matsuda

Entrant name	SUBARU TECNICA INTERNATIONAL(STI)
Participating car	SUBARU Impreza WRX STI(GRB type)
	Horizontally opposed 4-cylinder EJ20 2.0litter DOHC turbo / SYMMETRICAL AWD
Suspension	Front - strut, rear - double wishbone
Vehicle manufacturer	STI
Team director	Hideharu Tatsumi (STI General Manager of Vehicle Experiment Division)
Drivers	Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida, Naoki Hattori, Koji Matsuda

Source: Subaru , Via: Worldcarfans

Prodrive enters Impreza WRC2008 in Scooby Sprint Championship

UK Subaru-enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's former rally-car partner, Prodrive, will participate in the 2009 Scooby Sprint Championship with a Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 World Rally Car. The Scooby Sprint is a one-make series for Subarus in the UK that allows private road car owners to compete against the clock as well as with some of the fastest and most modified Subaru cars around.

To get an idea, according to the organizers, the WRC2008 Impreza will not be the most powerful car to run in the Scooby Sprint as there are entries running more than 800-horsepower! Prodrive will enter the five-round competition as a 2009 Constructor Team.

Steve Smith, Prodrive car sales manager, said: "We are fully aware that there are some very highly tuned Imprezas out there and we know every one of them will be aiming to beat us. But let's be clear, we are not coming along for the ride."

Prodrive Reveals Gronholm's Subaru Impreza WRC

The car pictured above is the Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 with which former World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm will return to the WRC for a one-off race at the Rally of Portugal. Gronholm will test the Impreza in Wales this week, before undertaking a full two day pre-event test in Spain next week. This means the two-time World Rally Champion will have three days to familiarize himself with the race car before starting his first World Rally Championship event in nearly 16 months.

According to Prodrive, the Impreza WRC2008 is virtually identical to the car used by the Subaru World Rally Team at last season's WRC. "We have only been able to make minor changes to the car because of homologation restrictions, with the most significant difference being the Ohlins dampers," said Prodrive technical director, David Lapworth. "In a perfect world, Marcus would have had far more time behind the wheel, however, with his years of experience, I am absolutely confident he will very quickly find a rhythm in the Impreza," he concluded.

New Subaru Impreza WRX STI A-Line with Auto Box

An STI with an automatic transmission - what's the point in that? Well, while we may disagree with the option, Subaru apparently believes that there's a crowd out there that prefers the ease of automatic shifting. Badged the Impreza WRX STI A-Line, the latest addition to the current WRX STI model combines the 300-horsepower 2.5-litre turbocharged Boxer engine with a five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts. The model goes on sale nationwide through Subaru dealerships today in Japan

In addition to the new tranny option, the WRX STI A-Line has received some refinements to enhance comfort as it is equipped with standard 8 way power adjustable front seats and a new body color while Subaru also presented a new "Satin White Pearl"

Specifications:

-Engine type: Horizontally-Opposed 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged engine

-Displacement: 2457 cc

-Maximum output: 221kW (300 PS)/6200 rpm

-Maximum torque: 350 Nm (35.7 kgf·m)/2800～6000 rpm

-Turbo type: Single Scroll turbocharger

1,100 Subaru Owners honor the late Colin McRae

An estimated 1,100 Subaru car owners and thousands more fans honoured the late Colin McRae this weekend with a convoy that stretched more than 30 miles. The Subaru owners left the Rally Champion’s home town of Lanark on Saturday morning. The convoy which was led by Colin’s father Jimmy McRae, drove for nine hours covering a distance of 300 miles to arrive at Prodrive’s headquarters in Banbury on Sunday morning. -Continued

Led by Colin McRae’s original 1996 Impreza rally car, the 1,086 Subaru owners formed a sign almost half a mile long that spelt out ‘COLIN MCRAE’ and the Scottish Saltire in a new official Guinness World Record smashing the previous record by more than 800 cars. The cars then broke a second Guinness World Record by creating the largest parade of cars as they left the Prodrive test track. It is estimated that the event raised nearly £40,000 for the McRae charities.