Remember Subaru was teasing the WRX STI Type RA NBR a few weeks ago? Well, it seems the company was serious about taking on a Nurburgring lap record.
The WRX STI Type RA NBR Special recently set a lap record for a four-door sedan at the German circuit, completing a lap in just 6:57.5. Subaru says the time was recorded using Nurburgring timing equipment and officially verified by track officials.
Firstly, we must make it clear this isn’t a production car lap record, as the car isn’t exactly a production car. It’s a specially-built track car. More specifically, a time attack car which also set a lap record around the Isle of Man TT course. But it was developed to showcase the potential and capabilities of Subaru’s all-wheel drive engineering.
The car uses a 2.0-litre WRC-spec engine with a 75mm intake, a turbocharger that runs at 25psi, with a redline beyond 8500rpm. Peak power is rated at 600hp (450kW) at 8500rpm, with special gearing used to allow the car to hit a top speed of 170mph (288.2km/h) at the ‘Ring in top gear at 8500rpm.
To help give the WRX even more grip on the tarmac surface some racing slicks measuring nine inches wide are thrown on, while an extensive aero kit for the body helps to provide around 295kg of downforce at top speed. There’s also a DRS rear wing for both speed and downforce at the driver’s demand via a switch on the steering wheel.
