One of the relatively few manual cars in production today, the Subaru WRX is exceptionally popular with the aftermarket crowd. The STI featured in the clip below isn’t your usual WRX, though, for it packs an IAG 1150 engine that costs a whopping $17,500 as a long block.
As implied, the 2.5-liter is good for 1,150 horsepower with the right mods. According to Brian of Kaiju Motorsports, the build further includes an STI manual transmission with a straight-cut synchro gear set from IAG Performance. Boost comes courtesy of a Garrett Motion G-Series G42-1200 73-millimeter turbocharger, which is a pretty big turbo for a four-cylinder engine of this displacement.
Beautified with a Varis hood and fenders, the custom-built Scooby further sweetens the deal with Belak Industries drag wheels, 26-inch drag slicks, Ohlins road and track coilovers, as well as RacerX Fabrication lower control arms. The flat-four mill breathes out via a 4.0-inch exhaust from the folks at JDL Auto Design, a setup that includes a titanium outlet and a titanium Helmholtz resonator.
Capable of revving to 8,500 revolutions per minute, said engine is joined by a MoTeC M150 engine management system. Highlights further include a staging brake assembly, Cusco seats, and a Cusco limited-slip differential up front. Tipping the scales at 3,386 pounds (1,536 kilograms), this WRX is one seriously badass machine.
It's also a fresh build, hence its owner messing up a launch and a gear shift while racing a red pickup truck at Hoonigan’s usual filming location. Pictured at Santa Margarita Ranch’s private airstrip, the 2020 model year Ford F-150 is rocking a twin-turbocharged Coyote V8.
Photo: Hoonigan on YouTube
Confirmed to make 900 ponies at the wheels, the 5.0-liter powerplant gets those Bogart custom three-piece aluminum drag wheels and Mickey Thompson drag radials moving by means of a 10-speed automatic transmission. Owned by a gentleman called Rafa, the pickup also sports Lighting badges on the front fenders.
Way punchier than even the modern-day Lightning, this fellow runs the stock 3.73 gears. Estimated to weigh around 4,600 pounds (2,087 kilograms), Rafa’s truck would make a Hennessey Venom 775 blush in awe. However, can said truck win against the aforementioned WRX STI in a drag race over 1,000 feet (305 meters)?
The answer is – of course – yes! Not once, but twice out of a grand total of three 1,000-foot races! With a bit more seat time, Brian is certain to get even faster. Unfortunately, the folks at Hoonigan failed to share quarter-mile times. Even so, there’s no denying both vehicles are ridiculously quick on a prepped surface.
That being said, Subaru isn’t going to launch an STI version of the current-gen WRX because the Japanese automaker is currently focused on electrification. The Ford Motor Company, on the other hand, is developing two all-new platforms intended for EVs. One of them will underpin the next-gen Lightning, whereas the other will be used by the next-gen Mustang Mach-E and S750.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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