When people think about drag racing, they often associate it with America. And there's good reason for that, as that's where it has its roots, with the National Hot Rod Association formed all the way back in 1951. But drag racing has evolved into so much more, serving as a great way for new car enthusiasts to find their passion.
And this time around, we have a drag race between two cars that have their own merit in giving way to a whole new generation of petrolheads. I'm talking about a faceoff between two JDM icons; as a close relative of a rally legend, the Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type R stands against the mighty Nissan R34 GT-R. This is a vehicle that made so many people fall in love with Japanese cars when the late Paul Walker drove one in the second Fast and Furious movie.
But that's enough for praising these two iconic vehicles, so let's talk specifications, as both contestants sport their fair share of modifications. And, of course, I have to start with the R34, which now has an RB26DETT fully built by HKS under its hood, alongside the mandatory GReddy big single turbo and ECU tune. As a result, it now pushes 680 hp (690 ps) to all four of its semi-slick equipped wheels via a manual transmission for a power-to-weight ratio of 447 hp per ton.
The Impreza's list of mods is a bit larger, as is its power figure of 800 hp (811 ps), again going to all four semi-slick dressed wheels via a manual transmission. The building block for reaching that astounding number is an EJ22 boxer engine, fully forged and bored to 2.35 liters. On top of that, it benefits from Cosworth cylinder heads, cams, and valvetrains, as well as a large turbo and a staged eight-injector setup capable of a monstrous fuel flow of 2,600cc per cylinder. As it's also lighter than the GT-R, this Subaru boasts a ludicrous power-to-weight ratio of 600 hp per ton.
With the difference being so significant on paper, the GT-R might as well pack its bags, right? Well, it's not that simple, as this particular R34 has previously taken on monster builds with some degree of success, launching off the line like a bat out of hell.
But before that can happen, these two cars must first face off in a rolling race, where the ball is clearly in the Subaru's court. And things go as expected, with the WRX utterly demolishing the GT-R, reaching the finish line almost four car lengths ahead of it. While doing this, the Subaru also set a 62 to 124 mph (100-200 kph) time of 5.27 seconds, over a full second faster than the Nissan's time of 6.34, which, although insanely fast, looks pedestrian in comparison.
So, only the drag race is left for the GT-R to save its honor. Or it would be if the Subaru hadn't committed seppuku during the rolling race and blown its engine to smithereens trying to clutch the victory. It would seem that no matter how much money gets thrown at a Subaru, it can never escape the curse of being an internet meme. Luckily we still get to see the GT-R completely send it off the line, albeit alone, and set a quarter mile time of 11.09 seconds.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
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