|  |  The Subaru WRX: A Primer
The Subaru WRX began life as the humble Impreza, circa 1992, but stuffed into the econo-car chassis was a hot-rod turbocharged flat-four engine and a surprisingly sophisticated and effective suspension. The car was a huge success in World Rally Championship racing for the next decade. Although it has always been a cult car in the U.S., with fans practically begging for a WRX model to be imported, the first-generation WRX never made it to America.
All that changed with the 2002 model year. The Impreza -- and the WRX -- was completely overhauled, and for the first time the WRX model was included in the U.S. lineup. The U.S. got a car that had almost all the performance of the coveted Japan- and Europe-market WRX cars, for a bargain basement price. Over 18,000 WRX's sold out in only nine months. Word is that 25,000 will be imported for the 2003 run. The dynasty has begun...
From a tuning standpoint, the WRX has huge potential. The 2.0-liter horizontally-opposed ("boxer") motor has a ten-year history of aftermarket performance tuning, and has also demonstrated incredible resiliency even in when tuned to produce vastly increased horsepower numbers. The Impreza chassis has always been extremely capable, but the latest car is even better.
|
|
|
| |
