With less than a month to go until the start of the 2016 BTCC season, the teams are finalising their cars for the upcoming year. There's a media launch at Donington in a couple of weeks before the season opener on April 2/3 at Brands Hatch.
Now while it promises to be another action-packed year of tin-top racing, the car we're most excited about seeing in 2016 is the
Subaru Levorg
. Not only is it the first time Subaru has supported a circuit racing campaign, it's also a rather odd choice for a touring car. Like the
Civic estate
Volvo 850
, quirky and different is always of interest to PH!
Plus the fact it's powered by a boxer engine, spec details of which have now been released. The turbocharged 2.0-litre engine makes 350hp and 295lb ft, with a top speed of 160mph. However, there's no news yet on exhaust headers and whether it will sound like a Group A Legacy.... Other spec points of note include Penske dampers, AP Racing brakes (362mm front discs, 304mm rear) and a dry weight of 1,280kg with a driver onboard.
It's unknown yet whether the Levorg will carry the livery seen in this promotional video, but then battleship grey does seem to be the colour of the moment. Blue with gold seems a little obvious, so feel free to pitch in any other suggestions...
Despite the backing of the successful BMR team and former champions Jason Plato and Colin Turkington as drivers, it's seldom that a new car is immediately successful. We'll have to wait and see, but it's one more reason to follow the BTCC this year!