The Gymkhana vehicles have all been monsters, mostly crazy Fords that culminated with the Hoonitruck. With a new driver comes a fresh set of wheels, namely Travis Pastrana's Subaru WRX STI. And we can think of no crazier rival for it than the 1,300-horsepower Nissan Altima powered by a GT-R engine.
The STI looks like it's designed for everything from winning rally races to selling shirts and caps with the Hoonigan logo. It was developed by Subaru Motorsports USA with the help of Vermont Sportscar.
At first glance, it looks like your average JDM sports sedan with a body kit. But there's more than meets the eye here, as exemplified by the exhaust coming through the hood. Engine-wise, the boxer has been stroked to 2.3 liters. Exotic internal components play their part in its power jump from 341 to 862 hp.
We just can't get around how crazy the aero looks, from the carbon fins at the front to its massive wing. And can you believe the shell is an actual road car, complete with the STI S209's carbon roof? Its job is not drag racing, but AWD usually makes Gymkhana cars quick out of the blocks.
However, if you're after a stock car that's been taken to the next level, nothing beats Formula D champion Chris Forsberg's Nissan Altima. One of the most boring sedans to drive was fitted with the iconic VR38DETT out of an R35 Nissan GT-R. But things obviously didn't stop there. And yes, it too has been stroked, going from 3.8-liter V6 to a 4.1-liter.
Internal upgrades include fancy turbos, billet crankshaft, connecting rods, main caps, and girdles. It can produce up to 2,000 horsepower, but things have been dialed down to 1,300 hp for this race.
So, which is fastest, D1 or Gymkhana? This one doesn't play out the way you think. We don't want to spoil the outcome. So instead, we'll give you a second reason to watch: Travis jumps his car at 100+ mph (161 kph). How do they pull that off at a completely flat track? That's for you to find out.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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