Car and driver reports on their blog today that Subaru’s Ts model targets BMW’s M power brand! Ts stands for tuned by sti, which seems a little redundant, but signifies a step above the standard sti. Though this model carries the same power plant. More info on Car and Drivers blog
So, it’s been a little hectic here with myself. I know there have been a few things developing about the new Impreza and even in the motorsports world, things have been buzzing around. I’ll be blunt, I’m sorry for not doing as many updates as I should.
In light of what has been going on, I’ll be doing more editorial pieces when things are slow in the news world. It helps that (I know it sounds like I’m gloating, but I’m not… I swear) I know some people in the industry of motorsports and racing and I’ll get their perspective on things. I’ll try to get more insight on the GST Impreza and even talk to their driver, Jeff Westphal about their season.
Also, I’m still waiting on a few things to develop because two things are coming up. One, our 1 year aniversary is coming up fast (and furious… did anyone catch that 2011 STi drifting in the movie?) and two, Xgames is coming up and you bet your ass we’ll be doing a meet, cruise, and give away like we did last year.
I love this site, I love you guys, and I love talking, writing, and blogging about Subies. Hopefully in my personal life, I’ll be able to come up with a few things like shirts, stickers, and such so you can show your support and love for Subie-Life.com. Thank you all for sticking with us for about 10 months and I promise things will get better. I love you guys (and gals)!!!
A pic shared on Car and Driver’s blog of the new 2012 hatch at the NY auto show.
News from Car and Driver about a UK only Subaru with a power boost and navigation called the STI 320R, it’s name spawning from it’s power in PS and torque. But like most enhancing goodies, emission standards keep us from it.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/subaru-impreza-wrx-sti-gets-power-bump-and-navigation-for-uk-market-for-free/
-Adam A. (Gatchaponkei)
Factory Five is building a WRX powered kit car that is track ready and they want you to design it in their latest contest! Our friends from Autoblog gives us the low down:
Massachusetts-based Factory Five, the builder of some exceptional Shelby Cobra replicas and the GTM race car, has announced a new project vehicle. Starting with a Subaru WRXdonor car, the Factory Five team says it will be able to produce a mid-engined two-seater for under $15,000… and you can help design it.
It’s a sure bet that they will get a ton of feedback and designs of this new track ready kit car.
Factory Five is teaming up with Grassroots Motorsports Magazineto run a public design contest. The goal for the this as-yet unamed sports car will be to feature the WRX running car and weigh in at just 1,800 pounds. It will have a removable top, 95-inch wheelbase and the Subie engine will power the rear wheels.
The winner will receive $5,000.00 cash and have their concept drawing made into the real deal. So, Subie-Life.com readers, get your creative minds at work!
Now that the 2011 year is upon us, we can take a simple look back on the top 5 things that happened to Subies according to Subie-life.com. I’m sure you all have your lists and we encourage you to post them up on our Facebook Fan Page!
5. The 2 Door Test Mules caught testing: It’s been some time since we have had a strong 2 door Subaru on the market and we are glad to see that Subaru thought so too! During this Summer, we saw MANY images of the “FT-86” that has been tested that is a combined effort between Fuji Heavy and Toyota. Many rumors circulated for a while about the Subaru Variant and when we saw these images of a chopped up GRB with a skin of a coupe, we all giggled like school girls.
4. Travis Pastrana’s Red Bull Pier Jump: Now, I know this happened AT Midnight on New Years Eve, but we’ll just let it slide for this list here. Subaru, Travis Pastrana, and the STi were now in MILLIONS of households this year as Travis jumped his STi at the Long Beach Harbor at this Nationally and Internationally televised event. Yukio, our head blogger was also there to witness history being broken with a Subaru. Now, most Americans KNOW about Subarus and the STi and the Subaru brand has yet again grabbed the title of being a “Cool Brand” to own by the youth market.
3. The New FB20 Flat Four Motor: It’s been some time that the EJ20 / EJ25 motor has been with us. In September, Subaru introduced the new FB20 Flat four motor. This is the first change in the Flat Four motor since 1989 (with updated / upgraded variants). Now, this isn’t about power or about performance rather, a change that Subaru has made a strong evolution to make a reliable, environmentally sound, long lasting, flat four motor. Rumor has it that this will usher in the Hybrid motors and the FT-86 couple will also have this motor in it which will make us giggle when we know about the “STi” Variant of the model!
2. Confidence in Motion: Impreza Concept: There were teasers. There were rumors. During the LA Auto Show, Subaru of America finally revealed what “Confidence in Motion” and our jaws dropped. No more what Subaru labeled as an “Ugly Duckling” (even though we all know that Subarus are great in the performance / reliability department) and was being cheered on by designers and critics. The new design also saw the first ever “cockpit” interior of the Impreza which we all were impressed with! We do hope that this concept doesn’t deviate from the final design but we all know how most concept cars are. However, Subaru has announced that this isn’t too far fetched from the actual design that will be released in 2013!
1. The new 2011 STi Sedan: When Subaru teased us (wow, they do this often huh?) about the sedan version coming out for the STi, we all got excited. When we heard that the WRX will share the similar “Wide Body” of the STi, we all got hyped up! When we saw the final version in the dealerships we almost lost it! It was amazing! We all said it in unison though… “Subaru should have done it like this from the beginning”.
So this is our list for 2010! I know many of you have your own lists, so feel free to post them up on our comments section! Thank you for an amazing 2010 everyone!
Yeah, I feel really bad that we’ve been MIA for the past two weeks! With constant updates and such, we have to go through some growing pains. There are some things in the works right now that are going on so please bear with us as we try this transition.
Subie-life.com will not be out for long. We’ll still be posting up some relevant and original work shortly!
I just want to thank you all for being supportive of our cause and we’ll keep you guys in the loop! Thank you!
Apparently Subaru is having a Holiday sale on all their Rally Team gear (Possibly because they are now one man down from their team?).
Anyways to check out the deals from Subaru, visit HERE!
Our friends on Dirty Impreza tipped us off to this news about Travis Pastrana leaving Subaru Rally team. This leaves Dave Mirra as their lead driver! How will the effect the team?
Subaru of America, Inc. today bid farewell to Travis Pastrana as the company’s lead driver. Travis began his relationship Subaru in 2004 from the world of supercross and freestyle motorcross and officially joined Subaru Rally Team USA (SRT USA) in 2006 having run abbreviated development seasons with Subaru in 2004-2005. During his career as an SRT USA driver, Travis piloted his Subaru Impreza WRX STI to 150+ stage wins, 40 podiums, and 22 event victories en route to earning four consecutive Rally America National Championship titles (2006-2009) and becoming the youngest-ever U.S. Rally champion in history. Within the ESPN X Games Rally Car Racing format, Travis went on to win two gold, one silver and one bronze medal with Subaru Rally Team USA.
Tim Mahoney, CMO of Subaru of America said, “Travis brought Rally to a whole new audience through the rally championship and of course through his spectacular appearances at X Games. We wholeheartedly thank him for his outstanding performances with Subaru Rally Team USA and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
We here at Subie-Life.com aren’t quite sure what to think about this news but what we are sure of, is that Subaru always have some tricks up their sleeves and this won’t spell the end of the team! Good luck Travis!
LA Autoshow is in less than a week and Subaru has announced that they are going forth with their new slogan “Confidence in Motion” which leads to wonder, is Subaru going to go Green? Apparently, it should “Enhance the Subaru Brand”.
Subaru will proactively address global environmental issues and the demands of ever-maturing automobile use. Subaru believes automobiles should be more than just a means of simple transportations. They should also be a source of enjoyment, and enjoyment rests on a foundation of peace of mind. These two inseparable values are central to the Subaru experience. As customer expectations are diversifying, Subaru will foresee these needs with independent thinking and continue to offer enjoyment and peace of mind without losing sight of the essence of what an automobile should be.
When this debuts, you can expect Subie-Life.com to be there!
Source: Autoblog
Subie Life: For the Love of Subaru 