While the past couple instalments of the Gymkhana series all featured a Ford (due to marketing purposes), the series will be going back to its roots with an all-new drift-prepped Subaru for the first time since Gymkhana 2, with Ken Block passing the tyre-shredding torch to Travis Pastrana for Gymkhana 11.
More specifically, it’s a special one-off drift-prepped WRX STI built by Vermont SportsCar, the company that’s been in charge of the brand’s motorsports efforts in the United States. With no rulebooks to follow this time round other than to make the best Gymkhana machine ever, the racing outfit created what Subaru describes as the “most outrageous WRX STI ever”, and it’s proper bonkers.
The most apparent feature on the one-off WRX STI (which really needs a name, by the way) is the gratuitous use of carbon fibre. In fact, the entire shell is made out of unpainted carbon fibre, including the over the top wheel arches, as well as “wind-tunnel proven” aerodynamic fins, wings, and diffusers, all over the body.
There’s also a giant gaping hole on the tailgate which appears to be for cooling purposes, with air seemingly being fed through the air inlets on the rear doors. Other mechanical changes include the rally-style long travel suspension, as well as a stripped-out racecar interior built to Pastrana’s specs.
And while no technical specifications were revealed, Subaru says that the boxer engine underneath the hood is also custom built for the Gymkhana 11 project, with fire-spitting exhaust shooting right out of the bonnet – I mean, how cool is that?!
Commenting on his new ride, Pastrana said, “This STI is unbelievable! We’ve never had the opportunity to do this before, to build a car with no restrictions. Engine, suspension, aero—everything is unlimited, clean sheet.
“It’s crazy fast, easy to control and get sideways and it was perfect out of the box in testing. Gymkhana is a new challenge for me but I want to raise the bar, and this is the car to do it.”
Buckle up, ladies and gents – we should be in for a good one.
GALLERY
