Don’t try this at home, boys and girls, even though Travis Pastrana somehow convinced his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland, to let him do a rather high-speed tour of the community in an 862-horsepower, one-off Subaru WRX STI built for the film session.
The video marks the return of the Gymkhana video series launched by Hoonigan and with Pastrana taking the driving role originally played by Ken Block.
“Along with the big slides and tire destruction that are typical of the Gymkhana franchise, Pastrana’s signature style and action sports background mean this installment features bigger jumps — and more raw speed — than any before it,” Subaru said in releasing the 9½-minute YouTube video.
“Making my first Gymkhana video has been an incredible experience!” Pastrana is quoted in the news release. “I’m so thrilled to finally have the chance to do it, especially in my hometown, so I could bring these ideas I’ve had for years to life. Plus, Subaru built me the perfect STI for it. It’s unbelievable how much power and grip this thing has, and it took all the punishment I could throw at it!”
With a mission to execute stunts unlike any seen previously in Gymkhana videos, Pastrana’s STI was purpose-built by Subaru Motorsports USA and Vermont SportsCar. Starting from a production Subaru shell, the car was fully caged and lightened to just 2,623 pounds – about 800 pounds lighter than a stock STI – giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 3.0 pounds per horsepower. The engine is a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder with a custom billet block and heads based on the company’s rallycross program.
“The wild-looking carbon-fiber body panels were validated in the wind tunnel — a first for a Gymkhana build— to ensure stability in the air and generate maximum downforce on the ground, especially for the video’s high-speed road sequence,” Subaru said. “A DRS-style active rear wing allowed Pastrana to adjust the car’s attitude in midair for the video’s groundbreaking jump stunts.
The car also has long-travel suspension designed to deal with the high-speed jump takeoffs and landings as well as allowing precise proximity drifting.
An extended cut of the video is to be released in 2021.
