One of the perks of my job is that I get a chance to go to some very cool places and, in turn, drive some amazing cars. Last fall I crossed the Atlantic to visit what I would call "the happiest place on earth" for car nuts. No, not Disneyland Paris: I’m talking about Prodrive’s test facility in the UK.
My main point of the trip was to hang with the Subaru World Rally Team during Wales Rally GB, courtesy of Subaru of America--quite an adventure in itself. But it's one thing to talk cars and watch them zip by at breakneck speed. It's so much better to be driving them, which is why I so looked forward to the Prodrive visit.
I had the chance to drive a 2007 Type UK STI on Prodrive’s private road course and then tried my hand on the ice simulator, behind the wheel of a UK 2008 WRX (all of these cars were all right-hand drive, by the way). But those Subies were nothing when compared to my final car of the day: Yes, I had the chance to drive a Prodrive Group-N WRC car. Continue reading after the jump...
Subaru makes some fast factory cars. Specifically, its rally-bred STI is known for a 300hp fire-breathing mill and excellent road-handling capabilities. However, as much as I like speed, I prefer to have something a little less "racer boy" for my daily driver. I like the feel of Subaru's boxer motors and the driver ergonomics, I also happen to run a Subaru magazine, so it only made sense that I looked elsewhere in the ‘roo family when selecting a car for my own. In the end I chose a model with styling and an interior I could live with every day: a 2007 Subaru Legacy GT.
I'm a magazine publisher and video producer. I’ve been invited to add my thoughts to the CarDomain blog, as I seem to spend a lot of time driving and breaking them "in the line of duty." Specifically, I'm known for my Subaru Magazine (Subiesport), a pair of Mazda Magazines (Mazdasport and Forever MX-5) and a TV-show-turned-web-series called Driving Sports TV. I torture clutches, scorch tires and make a general mess of things for the sake of my dedicated readers.
However, even with several cars in my name and a world of knowledge from my staff and those I associate with every day, I’m not beyond getting myself into a transportation pickle. Case in point, a couple weeks ago when I had to bum a ride from my father-in-law, just to get to work. Continue reading...
I'm setting out for One Lap of America tomorrow with Steven Rankins' Boxer4Racing Subaru team, and I couldn't be more excited! Just take a look at our route map, complete with all the track locations we'll be hitting—I guess there's a reason Brock Yates Jr. has called this enduracnce event "a season of racing in a week." Another cool aspect of the tour is that we have to run the entire 4000-mile journey and ten gruelling track events on a single set of tires, when racers will often go through multipe sets during a single race weekend. Steven decided to use a fresh set of the Continental ContiSportContact3's he ran last year, because they held up so well—and we do get to bring along a spare for emergencies. Stay tuned, as CarDomain's going to be bringing you up-close coverage of the track racing and the long hauls for the entire 4000 miles. We'll be kicking off the tour in South Bend, Indiana this weekend. See you there!
Steven Rankins took the Boxer4Racing STi down to Carolina Motorsports Park for some test and tune this week, and the little Subie seems to be in good shape for what's sure to be a gruelling eight days on the road for the One Lap of America endurance event. Our team of three will be covering over 4000 miles and running in time-trial events at ten different tracks around the Eastern half of the country. All that's left to do is final prep, like swapping on new brake pads, and wiring up the car for internet connectivity, including the streaming video that'll be featured on Boxer4Racing's One Lap page. Check out this clip of the STi making the rounds at the track, and stay tuned: I'm leaving for One Lap in the middle of next week, right after I get back from Talladega.
Two weeks back we told you about the new RWD coupe that Subaru and Toyota are developing together. Well, it sounds like some people (including some folks at Subaru) are worried that this new car may dilute the brand (source: Autoblog). I understand the concern, but I think it's a bit shortsighted. First of all, I think that the Tribeca did more to dilute the Subaru brand than a RWD coupe could. Second of all, gas prices are going up, and if Subaru sticks to AWD cars with sucky gas mileage, they're gonna be in trouble. They should probably add a cheap FWD econobox to their lineup, and it's about time that someone built an affordable RWD 2+2 coupe--personally, I'm glad that Subaru is the one that's gonna do it. Sure, they will have to market it correctly, but ultimately I think it will be good for Subaru and the Subaru brand. What do you guys think?
One Lap of America is a hardcore eight-day endurance race that alternates brutally competitive time-trial events with long hauls between tracks all over the coutry—and this year, I'm going to be tagging along with Steven Rankins' Subaru team to bring you all the action first hand, right here on the CarDomain blog! You might remember Steven's STi from last year's GRM Ultimate Track Car Challenge: it's set up for the track and running a heap of mods, including a Deadbolt turbo. Starting on May 2, our team of three will be on the road for over a week straight with nothing but a spare tire and a few extra parts, and while Steven will be doing the competition driving, each of us will be responsible for both wrenching and transport driving. There'll be streaming video on Steven's One Lap page and lots of great photos and stories here on CarDomain. Stay tuned, and check out the full press release after the jump!
For years now I've been scratching my head over the dearth of affordable RWD 2+2 coupes. But now it's looking like Toyota and Subaru have teamed up to build one. Inspired by the AE86, and they are focusing on keeping it cheap, simple and sporty. How cool is that? There is talk of the car being offered with both Subaru's 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter 4-cylinder boxer, and apparently there will be a Toyota version of the car as well. The design is to be finalized by July and production is set for 2010. Let's hope they keep the weight and price down. More at Autocar.co.uk.
Derek Ringer will now co-drive for Travis Pastrana for Pastrana's challenge in the FIA P-WRC Series. The series one level below the World Rally Championship (WRC), P-WRC is where drivers can enter production cars modified to FIA rally specifications. Derek Ringer co-drove with Colin McRae from the Early 80s to 2000 when bad blood between the two resulted in Ringer being replaced by Nicky Grist. The first event for the new Ringer/Pastrana team was this past weekend's Rally Argentina, certainly the most vicious on record, where dense fog and muddy conditions led them to roll their car on stage one. So they may not be off to the most stellar start, but with Ringer's history, Travis Pastrana stands to learn a lot and to better his rally experience.
I have been regularly autocrossing since 1992 (yeah, I'm that old) but had never received any formal training. My entire technique was developed by trial and error. This past weekend, however, I was a student at the Evolution Driving School. This school crisscrosses the country, and the staff is made up of former and reigning national champions. I was impressed to hear that many current national champs regularly go back for mid-season tune-ups.
While autocross seems pretty basic at first (go fast and avoid the cones) there are nuances that separate a first-class run from a mid-pack finish. I guess that's true for any sport. We did a few lessons that drove home a major point: look ahead. The sooner you see a gate, apex or pointer cone, the faster you'll get through there.
By the way, for those who haven't been thrilled with the shape of the latest WRX, gotta say that the car performed very well. A severe lack of negative camber caused me to tear up one Nitto race tire, but I can't wait for our next event.
Two of my favorite imports, BMW and Subaru, just can't seem to get it right lately when it comes to exterior styling. BMW is still working through the whole Bangle nightmare, and I personally have not quite recovered from the travesty that is the new Impreza/WRX/STI. Seriously, is it that hard to design a good looking car?
Maybe these manufacturers should just focus on what they are good at: building kick-ass cars. Maybe they should leave the exterior design to people who know what they are doing: Italians. No one ever decided not to buy an Italian car cause it was ugly. People decide not to buy Italian cars because they are too expensive, or because they are too fire prone. But Italians know how to design great looking cars.
Isuzu figured this out back in the 70s. When they wanted a new Impulse, they went to Giorgetto Giugiaro, and he penned something pretty cool. VW has gone to Giugiaro, too--he penned the first generation Scirocco. In the early 90s, Lexus went to Giugiaro for the GS 300, and Subaru went to him for the SVX. So what's the deal now? Are BMW and Subaru too proud? Come on guys, make it easy on yourself and hire an Italian. You'll end up with better looking cars, and you'll sell more of 'em, too.
Ya'll remember that song "Things that make you go hmm..." Well, this '57 Renault on eBay is one of those things. My first question is why, as is my second, third and fourth. Now I am really into the oddball stuff, but this one is just a little too out there for me. Please understand that I am not criticizing this vehicle as much as I am pondering its existence. People build different things for different reasons, and most of the time they have a specific purpose. The Saturn 5 rocket for instance was built to propel a human from the Earth to the Moon. The elevator was designed to move people up and down so we wouldn't have to take the stairs, but this thing, well, I'm not so sure. It just seems like a lot of wasted time and effort to me. Still, it's kinda cool to look at. Three more pics after the jump.
