This Subaru Impreza Is A 600+ Mid-Engined Dirt Rally Monster
YouTube is a brilliant thing, isn’t it? There are so many incredible car builds that are out there to be dug up and talked about, and this one is an absolute gem. This Subaru Impreza was built by Cusco Racing/Carrosser for Yuji Kase who raced it in the mad world that is the Class D of the Japan Dirt Trial series.
For ten years he did this, and that alone is incredible, but let’s delve into what really makes this machine so interesting. The highly tuned turbocharged EG33 engine produces 600+hp, but instead of sitting at the front of the car like in the standard models, the flat-six was placed behind the driver for an improved weight distribution.
The movement of the engine also allowed for better suspension to be used at the front, specifically Cusco’s very own long-stroke hardware alongside a host of other bespoke parts across the board, not to mention an all-aluminium monocoque.
Sharing a platform with the GT300 Impreza made for the Super GT series, it shares many similarities with the fast Subaru. Two versions of the car can be seen in the video above from between 2000-2004. Before this period, though, it was aesthetically based on a Porsche 911. This is a very special car, dominating the All Japan Dirt Series for many years, only succumbing to the legendary Nobuhiro Tajima in his Suzuki Swift.
