Subarus mutated almost beyond all recognition have good prior form at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. From the mad old Gobstoppers, to Mark Higgins in his Isle of Man-beater, to Travis Pastrana in his ‘Airslayer’ Gymkhana car that flirted with Timed Shootout victory in 2021, these incredible cars are without doubt a stupendous basis from which to start to conceive a machine built purely for speed. This year, we have a Subaru WRX called ‘Project Midnight’, that right from the off, put itself forward as an obvious contender for victory.
As the standings sit now, driver Scott Speed is just 0.1 of a second behind Romain Dumas’ 45-second leading run. So yes, we’re all looking forward to an incredibly tight finish between the two, with the Subaru using every one of its 9,500rpm range.
Powered by a 670PS (493kW) 2.0-litre boxer engine producing 922Nm (680lb ft) of torque, it powered its way into a top-flight finishing spot during qualifying on the Saturday.
The mill is an evolution of Subaru’s hugely successful rallycross engine that took Speed to the 2021 Nitro Rallycross Teams championship. Further to the incredible power, this new car has bespoke carbon-fibre bodywork and a lightened chassis – it weighs just 1,120kg – with an enormous rear wing producing plenty of downforce.
Festival of Speed
FOS 2024
Event Coverage
Timed Shootout
Subaru
Project Midnight
Festival of Speed
Festival of Speed
Festival of Speed