New Subaru 'Brataroo' to star in Aussie Gymkhana
Classic Subaru pickup gets 670hp, 9,500rpm and a sequential 'box - watch it fly next month...
Thanks to the enormous popularity of the Gymkhana videos over the years, with tens of millions - sometimes of hundreds of millions - of views on each installment, the cars involved have become almost as famous as the people. Gymkhana was, of course, Ken Block’s domain for a long time, in everything from a Mustang to the electric Audi Sport Quattro over the years. In the Travis Pastrana era, Subaru has tended to be the brand of choice, with both 2020 (STI) and 2022 (the incredible Family Huckster) featuring Gymkhana Scoobies.
Indeed, it was hard to think where the Hoonigan-spec Subarus could go from the classic Subaru wagon, but it turns out the answer was obvious: to the classic Subaru pickup. This is the latest Gymkhana car, to be set loose in the Aussie Shred next month, and is, of course, a Subaru Brat. Or rather, it’s the Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo, on show at SEMA this week and described as “completely unhinged” by Pastrana - just how a Gymkhana Subaru should be…
Where once a BRAT - or the Bi-Drive Recreational All-Terrain Transporter, to give the car its full name - was powered by a 1.6- or 1.8-litre boxer, the Brataroo’s flat-four is now 2.0 litres in capacity. And rated at 670hp. Apparently, it’s a Rallycross-derived unit, which would explain the crazy specific output, built by Vermont SportsCar (responsible for the Project Midnight FoS weapon) and revving to more than 9,500 rpm; that makes it the highest revving car ever used in a Gymkhana video in more than a decade and a half of doing them. All four wheels are powered through a six-speed Sadev sequential and ‘motorsport-grade’ diffs.
The wild new look, influenced by Khyzyl Saleem (a man involved with the TWR Supercat project), is formed from carbon fibre, keeping weight low to make the most of that power. And the Brataroo isn’t merely a case of the highest output and the lowest weight possible; it’s said to have ‘the most advanced active aero’ of any Gymkhana car yet built. So the louvres in the front wing can be adjusted on the fly - quite literally so in this car, able to tweak balance during a monster jump - and both rear wing options can be adjusted as required. Two tyre choices will be used in Australia depending on each stunt.
Not that anyone will be paying much attention to the details when the Brataroo looks like this, complete with '70s-style livery and forged monoblock wheels that evoke the original Brat design. The interior obviously features lots of new bits, with carbon throughout, but also repurposes old parts as well: the original HVAC controls now manage the active aero, and a CB radio is retained. ‘Every detail’, says Hoonigan, ‘was crafted with respect to Subaru’s heritage while servicing the demands of today’s Gymkhana universe.’ You just know it’s going to make for a spectacular video.
Pastrana added: “This BRAT’s completely unhinged - in the best way possible. It’s got the soul of a vintage Subaru with the tech to do things no Gymkhana car has ever done. Every part of it is designed to take abuse, fly big, and come back for more. It’s hands down the craziest Gymkhana car we’ve ever built.” Some claim, given everything that’s come before this, seeing it in action can’t come soon enough.
They were called a Subaru Brumbie in Australia, not a Brat - Aussie word for a wild horse.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff