And no, you can’t have one.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Subaru’s performance and motorsport division, Subaru Technica International, the Japanese automaker has released the WRX STI Type RA-R ((Record Attempt-Racing).
It’s a 500 unit limited run that’s a (slightly) lightened version of the track-friendly WRX Type RA and is limited to the Japanese market. But even if you’re were interested in the car and are living in the land of the rising sun, the RA-R is already sold out. Shucks.
As you might imagine, adding the extra R was meant to add more edge to the name, denoting its more focused character. Materially, the Type ‘Roar’, as we are now choosing call it, is very similar indeed to the Type RA - just with some weight shaved off and a power boost.
Having said that, reduced mass and more grunt is a zesty combination, and one that has given the RA-R a much better stocked bragging arsenal. For one, the 2.5-litre EJ20 turbocharged flat-four engine has been given a meaningful output upgrade, up by 15kW and 40Nm over the standard WRX STI, yielding 242kW and 432Nm.
This was achieved through traditional means rather than just upping the boost pressure, with the changes encompassing a modified exhaust system, intake system revisions, a new flywheel, redesigned intercooler shroud, and an updated ECU.
Over Subaru’s previous limited run WRX STI variant, the S208, the Type RA-R sheds 30kg thanks to some choice bits being replaced with carbon fibre alternatives and a curious ditching of superfluous aero, making it look dangerously close to a more domesticated non-STI variant of the WRX.
Special dampers and coil springs have been fitted, ones that have been specifically designed for the RA-R. There are also uprated Brembo brakes and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres fitted as standard, featuring differing compounds for the outer and inner sections of the tread for increased all-weather grip.
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