The current Subaru WRX makes 271 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged flat-four and sends its power to all four wheels via your choice of a manual or continuously variable transmission. As you may have guessed based on the photo, though, this particular WRX isn’t exactly stock and makes a little extra power. OK, it makes a lot of extra power. 670 hp to be exact. And it’s known as Project Midnight.
According to Subaru, Project Midnight is meant to build on the success it previously had with the Airslayer build with a specific focus on outright speed. With 670 hp and 680 lb-ft of torque, it should have plenty of power, but what’s especially wild is that the engine is just a 2.0-liter flat-four. Oh, and it also has a 9,500-RPM redline.
With a curb weight of 2,469 pounds, that works out to less than four pounds per horsepower. That also means it’s about 300 pounds lighter than the Airslayer and about 1,000 pounds lighter than a stock WRX. Part of that weight loss comes from the new aero-focused carbon fiber body. As far as the wing goes, that’s a larger version of the one found on the WRX ARA24 gravel rally car. It also has 18-inch magnesium wheels running 280/650R18 Yokohama ADVAN slicks.
Project Midnight will be driven by Scott Speed, who you may remember from the time he got suspended from playing iRacing. He’s also a Subaru Motorsports driver and has experience in a variety of motorsports, including rally and Formula 1. In a statement, Speed said:
Subaru Motorsports USA and the team at Vermont SportsCar have delivered an absolute beast. When driving the car it clearly has rallycross roots, but the wider tires, track, and geometry give it a very unique feel and incredible grip. The ultimate driving machine; half RX, half sports car – a true joy to drive.
