Subaru gets racy with its WRX sedan

“Race on Sunday, sell on Monday” was an oft-spoken adage of early automakers keen to capture the car-buying audience by showing off their capabilities and credentials on the racetrack.

People saw a car win and they wanted a piece of that. Some manufacturers still lean into the racing-as-aspiration ownership paradigm. Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche and Chevrolet are familiar badges spinning around NASCAR ovals and F1 circuits alike. And then, of course, there’s Subaru.

Yes, outdoorsy, hiking boot-looking, dog-loving Subaru has a storied history in racing, using the same model you might have in your driveway.

An unexpected four-door sedan

Subaru’s WRX is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Of course, if you’re a Subaru loyalist, you’ll know its winning World Rally Championship pedigree. Even if you don’t, rest assured, your four-door sedan comes more than ready for its daily driving duties.

Extreme customization, called “tuning” or “modifying,” is an art Subaru has mastered. That expertise was most recently on full display in West Sussex, England, at the 2025 running of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The weekend countryside hill climb and rally stage motoring event was the brainchild of the Duke of Richmond, on whose front lawn the July event takes place. What was once a small gathering for like-minded and moneyed British racing devotees has grown into an event with activations by car companies from Lotus, Aston Martin, Pagani, Land Rover and smaller hypercar companies you’ve never heard of. Spectator attendance was 500,000 strong over its four days.

Not your average Subies

This year, Subaru brought two unique WRX examples to Goodwood. The WRX ARA25, piloted by American WRC rally champion Travis Pastrana and Australian co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino, dominated in the dirt on the rally stage. It wears Subaru’s blue and gold livery, and looks like an everyday WRX — mostly — with the same front grille and body shape riding on the same chassis, but it gets a roll cage and specialized aerodynamic extras on the fenders. The massive wing on the deck lid creates extra downforce. The tuned engine makes 315 horsepower, not far from the 271-hp WRX the rest of us can buy.

Subaru built its Project Midnight, a 2024 WRX doing its best Batman imitation, for the hill climb. Former F1 and NASCAR driver Scott Speed piloted Project Midnight through a narrow 1.16-mile paved course. The route ascends a gentle gradient flanked by an ancient stone wall and has sharp turns. Drivers experience drastic changes in lighting, from direct sun to tree-shaded darkness, while driving at blistering speeds.

As Project Midnight is a true unicorn in their stable, Subaru didn’t want to stick with the traditional blue and gold livery. This David among Goliaths was initially built in matte black carbon fiber and, according to James Tate, marketing manager for Subaru Motorsports, “after 57 different livery iterations, we arrived right back at the beginning with matte black.”

Extensive modifications to both cars include bigger turbos, upgraded suspensions (Project Midnight is lower to the ground and stiffer, while ARA25 gets a lift and softer springs to absorb the off-road bumps), specialized exterior aero and custom exhaust systems. They get enhanced cooling solutions for their increased power. Project Midnight gets an anti-lag system to keep the 670-hp 2-liter engine revving in the meat of its powerband.

“On Project Midnight, we get bigger turbos because, unlike WRC, there are no regulations for FOS (Festival of Speed). It’s fast on a track as opposed to the rally car that needs to jump and absorb bumps as well as handle mud,” said Yannis Loison, technical director at Vermont SportsCar, a racing company that’s been working with Subaru since 2001.

Everyone on the team knows the value of keeping these cars recognizable to fans. “People want to see their car in these cars. So, we keep about 70% of the original shape and body, so that’s possible,” Loison said.

Subaru’s racing DNA

This year, Project Midnight came in second overall up Duke’s hill to an electrified Ford Super Truck that makes over 2,000 horsepower and goes from zero to 60 mph in under two seconds. And even though they weren’t officially competing, Pastrana and Gelsomino recorded the fastest time on the rally stage — impressive for the rugged outdoorsy brand among the world’s fastest sheet metal.

Do either of these showboats move the needle at the dealership? One only needs to go to the race team’s garage to appreciate the return on investment. Speed just bought his first Subaru. “Never in my life have I had a more fun kitted-out car,” he said of his 2005 WRX STI.

These are not your average $38,000 Subaru WRX sedans, but the racing DNA comes in every WRX that Subaru sells. Your driveway might not be the Duke’s posh hill. You might not commute through a muddy dirt road. Still, you’ll smile a little when you drive your WRX — knowing it can more than handle them both.

Lyn Woodward writes about cars, spending the better part of a decade sharing details about what she loves. Her work is seen in places like Kelley Blue Book, The New York Times, Hagerty Driver’s Club, The Drive and MotorTrend. She has also answered Hollywood’s call and has written several made-for-television movies.

The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are owned by parent company, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.