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When was that posted . Must be looking for business back or looking to get the road resurfaced
 
Only now on their fb page :54:
I found it interesting. I learn about the 5speed wrx boxes in the hawkeyes being stronger so its not a waste of time
 
Metal Falsification Scandal Rocks Auto Industry; Subaru, Toyota, Honda

A scandal has rocked the Japanese auto industry. Subaru, Toyota, and Honda all said they used falsified materials supplied from Kobe Steel.

The automotive industry in Japan has been rocked by a metal data falsification scandal. In a report from*Nikkei*Asian Review, Kobe Steel who supplies aluminum for the automotive and airplane industry is said to have supplied false data about the strength and durability of its aluminum and copper products. The affected products are supplied to some 200 companies including Subaru, Toyota, Honda and Boeing.

Aluminum is widely used in cars, planes and high-speed trains in Japan which use the light-weight metal to increase fuel efficiency.*Kobe Steel has acknowledged shipping their copper and aluminum products to more than 200 customers but didn’t disclose their names. Subaru, Toyota, and Honda all said they used materials from Kobe Steel that were subject to such falsification.

The false data supplied to automakers was intended to make metals look like they met clients’ quality standards. Subaru Corporation announced Monday they were using Kobe Steel’s data-adjusted aluminum products in their cars and aircraft. Subaru also*makes parts for the Boeing 777X next-generation large passenger jet, but says nothing so far has raised safety concerns.

A Subaru company representative said, ”We will put the safety of customers using our products first.” Boeing said in a separate statement, “Nothing in our review to date leads us to conclude that this issue presents a safety concern, and we will continue to work diligently with our suppliers to complete our investigation.”

Toyota, which also uses Kobe Steel materials, said they use the aluminum in hoods, doors and peripheral areas for which the supplier falsified data. “We are rapidly working to identify which vehicle models might be subject to this situation and what components were used,” Toyota spokesman Takashi Ogawa said. “We recognize that this breach of compliance principles on the part of a supplier is a grave issue.”

The report says, Honda said it also used falsified material from Kobe Steel in car doors and hoods, and Mazda Motor also confirmed it uses aluminum from the company. Nissan Motor and Mitsubishi are also top customers of Kobe Steel and said they are checking whether their vehicles are affected.

The scandal spreads through the Japanese auto industry and across its boarders. According to Bloomberg, General Motors, and Ford Motor are also top customers of Kobe Steel and could also have cars affected by the scandal. At the moment, the impact of the falsified metal products supplied to automakers is unclear, or whether it will lead to recalls for Japanese automakers like Subaru, Toyota, Honda and other auto manufacturers
 
WTAC 2017 Saturday - short version!
Our Friday running brought times down from 1:35 to 1:29 over 4 sessions. Not a bad improvement but more commitment was required, certain male body parts were consulted and they both agreed they could do better! Sat arrives and boom, a 1:27, followed later with a 1:26.
5th place overall
Fastest ever Subaru.
Fastest 4wd car of the event.
Fastest European car ever.
And..... the car drove back into the container running sweet after 3 days work, happy days!
Big well done to our team that helped out over the weekend and to our sponsors that helped us get there.
Full write up to follow but for now it's time to relax!
Someone said, it's still a big step to the top 3. I said "that's cool, we are still taking big steps"
 
Petter Solberg:

I am honoured and excited to be at Rally Legend tomorrow with so many other WRC champions to pay tribute to the amazing Colin McRae, my hero and my friend.
It's sure to be an emotional day, he inspired and influenced me and so many other drivers, and it only seems right to honour him with this collection of drivers and cars!
Looking forward to meet with great champions like Tommi Mäkinen, Walter Röhrl, Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, Timo Salonen, Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion, Didier Auriol, Marcus Grönholm, Sébastien Loeb, Sébastien Ogier, Sandro Munari and Markku Alén.
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Subaru S208 Special Edition of WRX STI Announced; Limited to 450 Units

http://www.cars-power.com/news/s208-special-edition-of-wrx-sti/

Main Features of S208
■ Suspension System and Wheels
・ STI-tuned Bilstein front struts (DampMatic®II, inverted type) and coil springs
・ STI-tuned Bilstein rear dampers and coil springs
・ STI-designed BBS 19-inch×8 1/2J forged aluminum wheels (silver)
・ 255/35R19 92Y tires (Dunlop Sport Maxx RT with special sound-absorbing sponge)
・ STI-designed flexible tower brace, front
・ STI-designed flexible draw stiffeners, front
・ STI-designed front suspension supports
・ STI-designed rear suspension flexible support subframe
・ STI-designed pillow ball bush rear suspension links (lateral link front inside & rear inside)
・ Brembo 18-inch bench-rated front disc brakes [drilled disc rotors & monobloc opposed-piston
6-pot calipers (silver-painted, with STI logo)] ・ Brembo 18-inch ventilated rear disc brakes [drilled disc rotors & monobloc opposed-piston 2-pot
calipers (silver-painted, with STI logo)] ・ Exclusive high-output balanced engine (with serial number and STI Performance ornament＊4)
・ Exclusive engine control unit (ECU)
・ Balanced clutch cover and flywheel
・ Twin scroll ball bearing turbocharger
・ Intercooler water spray (with toggle switch)
・ Performance muffler with lowered back pressure (featuring STI logo) teamed with exclusive rear
exhaust pipe
・ STI-designed strengthened silicon intake duct
・ Performance shroud
・ Quick-ratio steering gearbox (11:1)
・ Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) system
・ Active Torque Vectoring system
・ STI-designed low-pressure-drop air cleaner element
・ STI Performance Oil (Motul 5W-40)

Controls/Instrument Panel/Warning Lights ・ Welcome Lighting ・ Luminescent instrument panel (with multi-information display and STI logo) ・ Multifunctional display ・ Central instrument panel visor (leather-like wrapping and silver stitching) ・ Ultrasuede®-wrapped steering wheel (chrome bezel, metallic finisher, silver stitching) ・ STI-designed push-type engine switch (red with STI logo) ・ STI-designed leather-wrapped shift knob (black with STI logo) and shift boot (silver stitching) ■ Audio ・ Six speakers (4 front + 2 rear) ・ Black roof antenna (shark fin type) ■ Interior ・ STI-designed Recaro front bucket seats (leather [black semi-aniline finish on main panels, black finish on inside of side panels, silver stitching and accents] embossed with STI logo and equipped with seat heating and supplemental restraint system side airbags) ・ Rear seats (black leather with silver stitching and accents) ・ Decorative instrument panel (red, with S208 ornament) ・ Side sill plates (with S208 logo) ・ Door arm rests (silver stitching, metallic power window switch panel) ・ Center console with metallic decorative panel ・ Metallic side bench grill ・ Serial number plate (console) ・ Floor mats (enhanced soundproofing) ・ Floor carpet ・ Sub trunk (with tire repair kit)

■ Exterior ・ Mesh-type front grill (cherry-red stripe with S208 ornament) ・ Large front underspoiler (high gloss black) ・ Side bumper bezel (steel mesh and chrome plating) ・ Black side garnish with STI emblem ・ Satin-plated door mirrors (with foot lamp) ・ Metallic side sill moldings ・ Rear bumper (cherry-red stripe with air outlet grill) ・ S208 rear ornament ・ Dry carbon-fiber trunk lip spoiler ■ Safety Package ・ Advanced Safety Package: Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection, High Beam Assist, Front and Side View Monitors ■ NBR Challenge Package Exclusive Equipment ・ STI-designed BBS 19-inch×8 1/2J forged aluminum wheels (black) ・ Dry carbon-fiber roof ・ Black door mirrors (with foot lamp) ・ High gloss black side sill moldings ・ Carbon Trunk Lip : Dry carbon-fiber trunk spoiler ・ Carbon Rear Wing : Dry carbon-fiber rear spoiler (with S208 logo)
 
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The Subaru Viziv Performance Is A Next-Gen WRX Muscle-Fest

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-subaru-viziv-performance-is-a-next-gen-wrx-muscle-fest/

With a Boxer four, symmetrical all-wheel drive and muscles on top of muscles, the Viziv Performance is one of the key fast car presences at the Tokyo Motor Show

Subaru’s latest Viziv concept, just unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, previews just how brutal the next WRX STI could be. We like.

Mighty muscles on a vaguely three-box shape look pretty awesome. Huge, wide, squared-off wheel arches frame a monster of a design that screams fast from every orifice. Just look at those exhausts!

Unhelpfully, Subaru has kept performance details and technical data secret, but it still has the distinctive flat-four engine and permanent ‘symmetrical’ all-wheel drive. The company still openly pulls on the heritage of the Impreza; specifically WRX models.

It measures 4630mm long, 1950mm wide and has a 2730mm wheelbase. For reference that’s 35mm longer, 155mm wider (because concept) and the wheelbase is 80mm longer than the current WRX STI.

The Japanese firm says it’s focused on driver enjoyment but that it’ll also be designed to take Subaru’s next generation of advanced driver assistance systems. Following on from the clever and unique Eyesight setup, which uses two cameras spread wider apart for an effect that mimics the 3D perspective of the human eye, a new suite of crash-preventers will launch in 2020.

You’ve probably noticed that the Viziv name has been used before. It’s Subaru’s standard concept tag, meaning ‘vision for innovation.’ Apparently. The last one was a three-row SUV that became the Ascent for the North American market.
 
Andy Forrest:

Loooooong story alert!

2 years is a long time to hold on to a dream, in October 2017 it finally came true, we were invited back to WTAC in Sydney and had an awesome time.

The journey kicked off with a somewhat frantic final few weeks prep in the UK as we had some pesky issues with the charge air set up and turbo control. That had eaten into our final track test time and as a result we had to set off with a relatively untested car. WTAC at SMSP is not the event to take an untested car to but it's motorsport, is anyone ever 100% ready!

Fast forward 2 months and we arrive in Sydney. Ian Baker, that crazy/dedicated/enthusiastic man behind the events sucess, invites all the visiting teams from Scotland, Finland and Canada out for a welcome meal, what a great way to get to know the guys, away from the stresses of the racetrack.

A few days later and we are ready to open the container after its 10,000 mile trip via truck, train, boat and truck again. always a nervous time but as the doors creaked open, there it was, secure as it was when set off, relief all round!

Next hurdle is Import Bio Security screening, basically if you have even the slightest bio contamination (blade of grass, crumb of soil etc) you can be refused entry or be sent for decontamination at a cost of circa $1000! Thanks to the prep work of Lisa, Karen and Hannah, after a 30 minute detailed bio hazard inspection, the car was signed off as a pass, not just a pass though, the cleanest car the Border Control lady had inspected all day.....go the Mason family girls!!

From there it was off to do some publicity work down at Sydney Harbour Bridge/ Opera house area, we were in some awesome company there with Japans Mazda 767 LeMans car and Mad Mike from New Zealand drift car. Then on to do a nightime photoshoot for Whiteline up at the track.

Thursday morning arrives and we have WTAC official test day. With 2015's gearbox failure still fresh in my mind it is a tentative first few laps. Why is this nothing like the simulator? I'm flat through T1 on the Sim, in reality it's like a 90 mph corner that you are expected to turn into at 165mph, did I bring enough clean underwear?? The day goes wihout drama but I'm really just getting a feel for the track again, fastest lap is a 1:35, that would be about 40th place overall last year haha, don't panic!

Friday arrives and the conditions are perfect. Fresh set of tyres on and time to use full throttle! Keeping boost down to start with I get down to doing some officially timed laps. First thing that is clear is that we are grounding out at speed, we had possibly underestimated the amount of aero we had, I think in reality I had not believed the downforce figures we had been quoted from the CFD simulation runs but it seems they were true after all! Further tension was applied to our 3rd springs to support the car at speed and this kept the car where we needed it, right up until we bent the rear link bar. In our haste we had not allowed for the extra travel required from the 3rd spring after jacking it up and it became the bump stop before the rear shocks which should normally do this role. A quickly remanufactured link bar was welded up and set in place, with the rear shocks readjusted to take the bump loads. All done between sessions, so no time lost ???? The car is predominantly understeering so a few adjustments are made to ARB settings for next run.

Final Friday session comes and we do a 1:29.6 which is quicker than any Subaru has gone before on this track, also faster than any European visitor has gone previously, so a decent result but must do better.

We shared a pit garage with 2x big budget cars and both ran into reliability issues on the Friday, with the GTR (billet block/carbon body) having a severe fire that all but destroyed the shell and the RP968 Porsche having billet engine oil pressure issues on the dyno immediately prior to the event and then also broke the main engine to transaxle shaft, so it was off back to their Sydney workshop. We just washed the car and headed for a few beers!

Having proved reliability over 2 days it was time to start pushing harder in terms of power and driver comittment, so a click up on the engine mode cal switch and a wee talk with the drivers inner self!!

Saturday arrives and rain is forecast so the 1st run of the day may be the best chance to set a time. Fresh rubber on again (like all the pro cars) and I head out to see what she's got! Truth being it's more about what I've got, the car is more capable than I am at this stage.

A clean lap see's a 1:27, so a 2 second improvement with minimal change to the car, nice. Best part was it was completely drama free, felt easy although it was still understeering and I was aware that there was more bottoming out at the front. A quick look under the bonnet and something is missing, yep the 3rd spring/cylinder had snapped a rose joint and the assembly (which all sleeves together) had dropped off completely. Lady luck was on our side though as the coil spring, spring end cups, air cylinder, connecting link and sleeve were all just lying on the undertray, ready to be put back in place ......what are the chances of that! It is reassembled and we are good to go next session. The car is still understeering and bouncing a bit too much but we decide that rather than keep changing the car and it being a different animal to drive each time, best just see what I can get out of this set up, the track gets slower with rising temps throughout the day but the biggest gains have still to come from driver confidence on the high speed aero turns.

Next run and I have a misfire, I trundle back to the pits running on 3 cyls thinking it may be over. I check the datalogs and it looks like a crank sensor issue, further inspection shows there is rubber pick up on the cambelt/sensor causing a poor signal. The guys get in and clean it and its brand new again, phew!

The final top 5 shootout comes and it is our last chance to improve on our time. You get the track to yourself for the shootout, all the cameras around the track for the live feed are focused on you, 3x cameras in car watching your every move, full team expecting a result. No pressure! Just don't crash it, don't blow it up but just go faster than you ever have before..... 1 chance..... On the outlap I see all the rolled up rubber from the drift cars on the racing line, I smell fuel in the car but it has just been filled, it will be fine. How much more boost do I give it? too big a step and you end up missing braking points etc, I settle for 1 more click, so 2.0 bar and approx 1000 bhp flywheel, 900 WHP.

Flat down the straight, vision gets blurry with the bumps/porpoising but I have a feel for where T1 is now, 165mph, slight lift (2 seconds) at the 100mtr marker, no braking and turn in at approx 150mph, back on power and realise I should have lifted for only 1.5 or 1 second or less. Hit brakes for T2 and wish I'd given it a few mtrs further as I back off the pedal well before the apex, T3 and 4 go ok, T5 I back off too much but line is ok for next section. The 2nd highest speed corner T7 I get better than I have before (data showed 8mph up) T9 I lift too much as it is a righthand entry to the lefthand T10, then understeer round T11 on to the straight (still smelling that fuel) and flat down the straight to do a 1:26. So much more left in the car (and me) but happy I didn't blow it/crash it or go slower!

As I trundle back round on my slow down lap the fuel smell is stronger, thats not normal, I feel my race overalls, they are wet, thats not normal, as I pull into the pits, I look at my feet, there is a puddle, not good at all. I quickly jump out the car and get Lisa to get a few extinguishers ready. Once it has cooled down, inspection reveals a -10 fuel connection had somehow slackened off on one of the fuel filters and 6 bar of fuel pressure had been spraying directly at the bulkhead inside the car ......and finding its way past, how it didn't go on fire I don't know, scary stuff indeed. What I learned from this is that in future, I will power wash my bulkheads front and rear to ensure they are sealed 100%. It's clear that sticky tape over rivited panels will not stop a high pressure spray of fuel getting past.

I'm not superstitious but lady luck was definately on that flight with us to Sydney!

So what do we take away from the event.

A car that is still ready to race!

New suspension worked well but needs more set up time.

R35 transmission integration worked without fault.

Chain drive was reliable and needed only one small adjustment over 3 days of competition.

Single twin scroll turbo worked out well, even though it is bigger than required! (hmmm, drag racing...)

Aero exceeded our expectations and also the drivers current preception of just what is possible from road tyres!

Fastest ever Subaru

Fastest 4WD of the event

Fastest European car ever

5th place overall

3rd place in Pro class shootout.

Targets for the future.

2018 1:26 on the outlap on test day and chip away the seconds from there!

Podium here we come!

I would like to thank the event organisers and all our sponsors who made this journey possible for us. I will shortly do a full write up on our sponsors and why we use them to further our mutual goals but in the mean time I would just like to say thanks to the guys and girls that came with us on this journey and to YOU, the friends, fans and followers thatsupport us by hitting the like button on our posts, our social media exposure and popularity really helps when it comes to giving something back to our sponsors, so THANK YOU for your support and hope you continue to follow our progress.

2018 season plans are looking exciting from here but for now it's back to work today for Lisa and I'm back to work tomorrow, so for now I'm away to put another washing on, then make homemade Lentil soup for tea........Rockstar status - Expired!
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Gobstopper 2 The Ultimate Impreza 2017

http://everydaysubaru.info/?p=678

All the best things come as a pair – from legs to marriage, the fundamentals of life are made better, stronger and longer lasting by the duality of life. I know a few businesses which work better than others because of this too: Roger Clark Motorsport in the UK is most definitely one of them. In case the name is not familiar to you, here’s a bit of history to start off this incredible story and build. Roger was quite possibly one of the greatest rally drivers of all time. His list of works drives and achievements that spanned four decades justify an article on their own. He seemed to bond best with Ford and is arguably part of the reason why the MkI and II Escort are so popular with enthusiasts nowadays. Among those victories, Roger Albert Clark’s win on the 1972 RAC Rally of Great Britain is famously touted as being the one that beat the Scandinavians at their own game. Now here in 2013, over forty years later I’m wondering if his sons Matt and Olly Clark have just beaten the Japanese at their own game. Is this the world’s ultimate Impreza?

It’s a bold and controversial claim. It’s also one I fully intend to explore, because the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it is. For starters it’s been built predominantly for the Pro Class of Time Attack, so it’s pretty much free rein to do whatever you want. No regulatory restraints. To give you an indication of the level of build we’re looking at here, RCM started with the last ever Prodrive prepared, bare metal WRX shell. Dave Richards is an old family friend… but we’re getting ahead of ourselves just briefly.

What a lot of people don’t know is that Roger Clark started rallying with Subaru in the early ’90s, initially in the Legacy. So the link was forged then and since Roger passed away in 1998, Matt and Olly have continued to push, develop and compete in a number of different areas. It’s not all about Subaru for RCM, as they can and do turn their skills to many other makes but the original Gobstopper, a GC8 Impreza, has become the stuff of folklore after its incredible success, having debuted in 2005.
 
I saw this today few times from a different sources but couldn't made up my mind if theres truth in it.
 
I seen subaru ni advertising a final edition 150 been made not sure.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
 
I believe the wrx with the FA20 engine will be more suitable for the European market and is currently not available. They will probably take sti away and give us wrx. I believe someone here said something about eu parliament setting some kind of limits on total co2 the manufacturers offer lineup can achieve

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
The same happened years ago too, they announced the end of the impreza, then they brought out the WRX and WRX STI,

but let's call a spade a spade the Subaru performance road cars are no longer competive compared to Ford ,VW Honda etc and their customer base is decreasing as us lads gets older and older.
 
This is what l read:
In case you missed it, the current WRX STi has reached the end-of-the-road
Our tame motoring man, Iain Robertson, has received some important information from Subaru UK, which underscores something that most Subaru fans have been awaiting for the past few years.
Without doubt, the WRX STi is the most memorable Subaru model. A more up-to-date iteration of the original Impreza, which conjured-up images of special stage rallying and its legends, pushing the car up to and beyond its limits. Although it smacks of ‘clearing its feet’, IM Group, which markets the Subaru brand in the UK, has launched the WRX STi Final Edition. It is strictly limited to 150 models and says a final farewell to mark the end of a great era of Subaru heritage.
While Subaru is not finished, since it received survival help from Toyota, new models and platform and powertrains investment will drive the brand in fresh directions. Thus, the timing was felt right to open a new chapter for Subaru and terminate its former existence.
The 150 Final Edition models feature a number of technical upgrades that make it the most capable version ever sold in the UK. Its driving performance has been improved by a change from mechanical and electronic to pure electronic control of the Multi-Mode Driver’s Control Centre Differential (DCCD), to provide the optimum cornering agility. Alloy wheel diameter has been increased to 19-inches, within which are larger Brembo brakes with bright yellow calipers that improve fade-resistance and retardation, while providing a more consistent pedal feel to the driver.
The front bumper has been redesigned, with the lower grille blacked out with a geometric textured panel and a larger aperture to enhance cooling. The hexagonal grille has been sharpened and defined and a black surround added. Subaru’s ‘wing’ design flows through to the C-shaped headlights and hints at the Boxer engine beneath the bonnet. A ‘Final Edition’ badge is applied to the lower door.
High-gloss black inserts are added to the instrument panel, gearstick surround, door panels and steering wheel with red stitching and red seatbelts tying the scheme together. The front seats are heated and a larger 5.9-inch multi-function display has been added to the upper section of the dashboard. Its main instrument panel design has also been revised and the infotainment system now includes DAB radio and a reversing camera.
Bi-functional projector LED headlights are fitted with a single bulb enabling High Beam Assist to switch between high and low beam automatically. The system operates via a single-lens camera that is installed in the front windscreen and detects approaching traffic. The lights respond to steering input and illuminate more of the bend, or direction-change.
The WRX STi Final Edition is available to order now, priced at £33,995 on the road.
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