In July, a highly modified Subaru WRX STI, driven by Kiwi racer Richie Stanaway, managed to lap the Nürburgring in a time of 6:57.5.
That’s the fastest that any car with four doors has lapped the notorious German racetrack, a true testament of the engineering skills of Subaru and its motorsport partner Prodrive which helped build the unique WRX STI that set the time.
The fastest 4-door production car at the ‘Ring is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio which in 2016 set a time of 7:32. The fastest production car of any type is the Lamborghini Huracán Performante which in 2016 set a time of 6:52.01.
As mentioned above, the car used in Subaru’s run was a highly modified WRX STI. It’s known as the WRX STI Type RA NBR, and it’s pretty much a race car built without any regulations whatsoever. It’s a got a 600-horsepower flat-4, a 6-speed sequential transmission, a driver-adjustable rear wing, custom suspension, and virtually zero amenities.
Part of the reason for pulling the stunt was to help promote the production-bound WRX STI Type RA which Subaru is introducing for 2018. It features similar upgrades to the NBR special, although on a much milder scale. Power is up slightly, weight has been reduced, and the suspension and aero both tweaked for performance. Just 500 are planned for sale.
