With the glamor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed behind us, car enthusiasts in Britain will no doubt turn their attention to the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power. This annual event is held at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire.

At this year’s event, which runs from July 15 to 17, a very special Subaru is hoping to take the crown as the fastest car on this challenging 1.2-mile track. This special Subaru is an Impreza STi that has been tuned by Cosworth. The model is called the STi CS400 and produces 395-hp. Apart from the power gain over the standard model, the car also gets lighter 18-inch wheels by Pro-Race, and six-piston caliper brakes by AP Racing.

Taking the fastest car crown at this track won’t be easy, since there will be some other fast machines hoping to take the glory. Cars such as the Ariel Atom V8, Lamborghini Gallardo LP-570-4 Performante, and the McLaren MP4-12C are just some of the other cars taking part. Last year, a Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera set the fastest time ever on this circuit with a time of 62.68 seconds.

To give the Cosworth STi its best chance of winning, the car will be piloted by British Rally Champion Mark Higgins. He recently set the fastest timed lap of the Isle of Man TT circuit in a Impreza STi. So they have the right man for the job, but will the car deliver? That we have to wait and see.

With seven years of roaming the streets (in Japan), the second generation Subaru Impreza body became a familiar sight to many. And now that the third generation Impreza STi is out, we’re expecting to see less and less of the second gen bodies. But leave it to the crazy tuners in Japan to come up with this idea: taking a second generation model and outfit it with a front end from the the current model.

Some of us here at AutoGuide think it’s just too weird. The second-gen STi is notorious for its boxy shape and large headlights while the new generation is more streamlined and bubbly. Pairing the two together doesn’t quite flow well. (Some other crazy folks here in the office are big fans and made me write this sentence).

Complementing the transformation is also a full body kit from Charge Speed, which definitely gives the car a much sportier and more aggressive profile. Thumbs up for being unique, but much like the R35 front end on an R34 Skyline, we think they should belong on their respective bodies.

GALLERY: Car Service Hiro Converted Subaru Impreza STi

[Source: Farm Of Minds]

GST Motorsports and their venerable 1996 Subaru Impreza “L” had a perfect weekend at Round 6 of the Redline Time Attack Championship at Willow Springs Raceway (Rosamond, CA), claiming the Super Modified AWD class and Overall victories with a blisteringly fast lap of 1:20.759 (just 0.3-seconds off the AWD track record set by the Sierra Sierra Mitsubishi Evolution last year).

Mystery driver G-Stig then went on to win the Super Session, where the top cars from the event participate in a 5-lap sprint race for bonus points in the championship. This put an exclamation point on the weekend for the GST crew, completing their clean sweep at Willow Springs and solidifying their lead in the Super Modified AWD class.

“The entire crew has worked very hard on the back of the engine issues we encountered during the previous round”, said G-Stig, driver of the GST Time Attack Subaru L. “With the motor working flawlessly all weekend it allowed us to start concentrating on the handling aspect of the car. We’re getting close and I look forward to testing the changes the team is making to the chassis and aero for the next event.”

Mike Warfield, owner and engine tuner of GST Motorsports, added, “The new engine internals from Brian Crower really did the trick for us this past weekend. The motor ran strongly all weekend and we’re confident we have the powerplant in place now to start pushing things that much harder. We have always had fantastic grip from the Hankook Ventus 214 C91’s and now we’re going to start pushing the chassis and aero that much harder. The win this weekend was attributed to the reliability of the engine in the extreme heat coupled with the tires’ ability to maintain constant grip levels throughout our sessions.”

For in-car evidence of GST’s amazing 1-minute 20-second lap around Willow Springs, check out the video after the jump.

[Source: GST Motorsports]

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Subaru’s Impreza WRX and STI models are some of the best performance cars money can buy, but customers in the United Kingdom will now have an extra incentive to buy one of Subaru’s boxer-engined hatchbacks. Prodrive, a British motorsports engineering firm long associated with Subaru, is offering a free upgrade package for the WRX and STI (valued at £3100) that adds a revised ECU, upgraded mufflers and 18-inch wheels.

No new power numbers are available, but the increases are expcted to be in the 30-hp and 30 ft-lb range for each model. Subaru claims the upgrades are expected to shave 0.6 seconds from the 0-60 mph time of the WRX (bringing it down to 5.9 seconds) and 0.4 seconds from the STI’s time (helping it reach the mark in 4.8 seconds).

[Source:  World Car Fans]

Official release after the jump:

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To help promote Subaru’s in-house performance tuning department, the automaker build a custom WRX STI using only parts from the Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI catalogs. Unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the SPT WRX STI makes 315-hp (up from 305-hp), thanks to an SPT exhaust system. Otherwise, the factory turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four remains untouched.

Under the hood, there’s an SPT turbo heat shield and a selection of shiny bits, including a billet oil cap and battery hold down. Outside, the car also gets some extra style with a new front lip spoiler and exhaust finishers. Oh, and let’s not forget the 19×8.5-inch Prodrive GT2 wheels in Glitter Gold.

Wrapped in wear Michelin Pilot Sport rubber to help the car’s cornering abilities, the STI also gets some assistance from STI performance springs, an SPT strut tower brace and lower chassis brace.

Inside, the car is mostly stock with an added SPT boost gauge, a media hub audio system, an STI shift knob and some all-weather floor mats.

GALLERY: Subaru Performance Tuning WRX STI

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Kept under wraps until today, Subaru used the 2009 SEMA Show to showcase the tuning possibilities for the new 2010 Legacy with a VIP-styled Legacy 2.5GT. In true Japanese VIP fashion, this Legacy 2.5GT gets a deep purple paint job, an air ride suspension and a set of 20-inch wheels wit a 4-inch lip.

To fit the big wheels, the car’s fenders had to be flared wit other modifications including a long list of JDM Legacy parts like a hood, bumper, grille as well as HID headlights and fog lights. The car also gets a roof spoiler as well as a rear decklid spoiler. In order to fit the smooth JDM hood, the Legacy’s top-mount intercooler was replaced with a Mishimoto front mount intercooler.

Factor Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) parts were also included like an oil cap and battery tie-down.

The cabin gets a complete diamond-stitch leather treatment. The rear seat area was changed significantly with two bucket seats, two LCD screens and a huge audio setup.

Be sure to check out the full gallery below:

GALLERY: Subaru Legacy 2.GT VIP

Out of all the tuned vehicles at Subaru’s 2009 SEMA Show booth, we have to say the Legacy Wagon GTk is our top pick. Designed to bring together the best aspects of the Legacy sedan and the Outback wagon/crossover, the Legacy Wagon GTk was built as a capable autocross vehicle that can also carry a go kart in the back. And that’s just what it does with enough cargo room to fit a Coyote Motorsports XP kart.

Built by Specialized Vehicles, Inc. (SVI), with several parts like the rear spoiler and HID headlights donated from the Japanese domestic market (JDM) Legacy, the GTk also gets custom SVI parts like a new front bumper, quad-tipped exhaust system and a new vented hood.

Under that hood you’ll find the Legacy GT’s turbo 2.5-liter boxer engine that has been modified with a new exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU to make 300-hp and 350 ft-lbs of torque – up from 265-hp and 258 ft-lbs. There’s also a six-speed manual transmission – yummy!

Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI parts were also tossed on, including an STI shift knob and SPT short shifter.

To make it a real autocross champ, the Legacy gets an SPT strut brace, Bilstein shocks, STI “pink” springs, 6-piston Brembo brakes up front and a 4-piston setup in the rear, along with a set of 19-inch HRE Comp wheels and 245/50/19 BF Goodrich Force-KDW 2 tires.

In the past, Subaru did offer a Legacy wagon, so here’s hoping this concept car creates enough interest for them to consider bringing it back.

GALLERY: Subaru Legacy Wagon GTk

We were really excited when we started reading Subaru’s latest SEMA press release, as it listed things like a 400-hp WRX STI, the word’s “rally-prepped” and “Ken Block.” That was all well and good, but entirely too normal for a SEMA show car. And that’s what we discovered upon continued reading as we downloaded the solitary photo from Subaru’s media site. Yikes!

Along with all that good stuff, is a truly SEMA-rific TRAX system, provided by Mattracks, which replaces the car’s tires for some even more serious off-roading.

The car was built by Subaru Rally Team USA’s technical partner, Vermont SportsCar, and features a stripped down shell, roll cage, carbon fiber door panels and carbon/Kevlar Recaro racing seats with a HANS device. It makes 400-hp and 400 ft-lbs of torque and uses a KAPS 5-seed gearbox.

Even sillier than the TRAX system is the fact that the car comes with its own sleigh.

Subaru says the WRX STI TRAX is just in time for the holidays. We’re pretty sure this monstrosity just officially marked the start of SEMA.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

Official release after the jump:

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Along with a more traditional modified STI and a wild Legacy show car, Subaru is set to debut a stunning Legacy wagon at the 2009 SEMA Show. Called the Legacy GTk, this wagon is designed to be an autocross champ and can also carry your family and an autocross secret weapon. Subaru designed the car so that it would fit a racing go kart in the back and that’s where you’ll find a Coyote Motorsports XP kart.

As for the Suby, it was built by Specialized Vehicles, Inc. (SVI), with several parts like the rear spoiler and HID headlights donated from the Japanese domestic market (JDM) Legacy. SVI then built its own custom parts like a new front bumper, quad-tipped exhaust system and a new vented hood.

Under that hood you’ll find the Legacy GT’s turbo 2.5-liter boxer engine that has been modified with a new exhaust system and a reprogrammed ECU to make 300-hp and 350 ft-lbs of torque – up from 265-hp and 258 ft-lbs. There’s also a six-speed manual transmission – yummy!

Subaru Performance Tuning (SPT) and STI parts were also tossed on, including an STI shift knob and SPT short shifter.

To make it a real autocross champ, the Legacy gets an SPT strut brace, Bilstein shocks, STI “pink” springs, 6-piston Brembo brakes up front and a 4-piston setup in the rear, along with a set of 19-inch HRE Comp wheels and 245/50/19 BF Goodrich Force-KDW 2 tires.

It might just be a SEMA Show car, or could Subaru be using this vehicle to see how interested the U.S. public is in a wagon version of the Legacy? Subaru already offers the Outback, but the Legacy wagon is on sale in Japan and Europe and perhaps there is space in the North American marketplace for Subaru to bring back a sporty Legacy Wagon. Please do!

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

Official release after the jump:

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Subaru will showcase three vehicles at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, including one vehicle that owners can replicate, thanks to the company’s Subaru Performance Tuning division. That car is a WRX STI, which has been completely outfitted with a long list of SPT parts straight out of the factory catalog. The car retains its turbocharged 2.5-liter engine but gets an SPT exhaust system to raise power slightly to 315-hp – up from 305-hp. Under the hood, there’s an SPT turbo heat shield and a selection of shiny bits, including a billet oil cap and battery hold down. Outside, the car also gets some extra style with a new front lip spoiler and exhaust finishers. Oh, and let’s not forget the 19×8.5-inch Prodrive GT2 wheels in Glitter Gold.

Wrapped in wear Michelin Pilot Sport rubber to help the car’s cornering abilities, the STI also gets some assistance from STI performance springs, an SPT strut tower brace and lower chassis brace.

Inside, the car is mostly stock with an added SPT boost gauge, a media hub audio system, an STI shift knob and some all-weather floor mats.

The second vehicle is definitely one that won’t be offered in the SPT catalog. It’s a VIP styled 2010 Legacy 2.5GT. Sure you can get the SPT oil cap and battery tie-down, but the air ride suspension and 20-inch wheels (with a 4-inch lip) are most certainly one-off items. To fit these wheels on the car’s body, the fenders had to be flared. Other body mods include a long list of JDM Legacy parts (overnight parts from Japan anyone?) like a hood, bumper, grille as well as HID headlights and fog lights. The car also gets a roof spoiler as well as a rear decklid spoiler. In order to fit the smooth JDM hood, the Legacy’s top-mount intercooler was replaced with a Mishimoto front mount intercooler.

And if the exterior seems extreme, just take a look at the interior, which gets a complete diamond-stitch leather treatment. The rear seat area was changed significantly with two bucket seats, two LCD screens and a huge audio setup.

A third vehicle will also join these two Subys. It’s a Subaru SPT Parts Delivery Van, that’s based off a fully restored 1969 Subaru 360. This is no performance machine with a 356cc engine that makes 25-hp and 25 ft-lbs of torque. But hey, it does get 66 mpg.

We’ll be sure to bring you more on all of Suabru’s SEMA show vehicles with live coverage from Las Vegas starting next Tuesday, November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

Official release after the jump:

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