Subaru takes flight in latest installment
Watch for tandem drift with new BRZ
The latest Gymkhana video has Travis Pastrana taking over from Ken Block and jumping over Pastrana’s home town (and an offshore powerboat) in an 862 hp Subaru WRX STI. Slapping footballs out of the air, dodging curbs, and rocketing sideways down the surprisingly narrow (and not empty) streets of Annapolis, MD.
Maryland’s state capital, known for being a bit stodgy, isn’t a city you’d expect to put on a show like this, but the drifter is putting the city, surrounding marinas, and even the airport to amazing use with some moves you’ll need to see to truly appreciate. Like drifting off a dock, under an airplane, and that jump.
The Subaru itself is a work of art, starting with a Vermont SportsCar-built 2.3L boxer four that’s turbocharged within an inch of its life at 50 psi to make 862 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque. That takes a billet head and block, special cams, and sodium-cooled valves to keep it together. A six-speed sequential dogbox, custom driveshafts, and VSC front and Sadev rear differentials keep the power down.
A first for a Gymkhana car, the carbon widebody and massive quantities of splitters, canards, and add-ons was wind-tunnel tested to make sure it could fly with enough stability. A DRS-style adjustable rear wing let Pastrana change the car’s angle in-flight.
Soaking up all that punishment is a Reiger competition suspension and Vermont SportsCar tubular cross members, suspension arms, hubs, and spindles, and while it’s a Subaru bodyshell it has an FIA-spec cage and a pair of reserve air tanks for safety.
Other trick bits include a 3D-printed Inconel exhaust poking out of the hood.
Even the end credits are a show, with Pastrana’s five-year-old daughter Bristol taking us for a spin before more jumps including, well, you’d better watch.
