MINI Countryman Rally Car Passes First Round of WRC Tests

As previously reported, MINI is eager to get itself into the World Rally Car Championships with its Countryman crossover and reclaim some of the rallying glory its predecessor / inspiration had in the 1960s. And today, the British automaker released the first official picture of the Countryman WRC, which partner Prodrive has been busy testing at their Warwickshire proving grounds in rural England.

The Countryman-derived WRC prototype - which still wears MINI's signature psychedelic camouflage and a temporary body kit - has just successfully completed its first round of testing on tarmac and low grip surfaces at the Prodrive facility. The real test, however, will come when the car is sent to Portugal for a week of on-gravel testing. This phase will either make or break MINI's WRC bid.

Prodrive technical director David Lapworth isn't taking any chances: "As with any totally new car, it is vital to take time to ensure all the systems are working as intended before embarking on a weeklong gravel test,"

MINI and Prodrive are still finalizing the "look" of the car, with special focus on getting the WRC bodykit right for optimum aerodynamic performance and ground clearance.

By Tristan Hankins

Subaru Impreza P1 Coupe Owners Celebrate 10th Anniversary

The first and only Subaru road car to bear the Prodrive name, the Impreza P1 coupe, is ten this year. To commemorate the event, 100 owners of the Impreza P1 made their way to Prodrive's headquarters at Banbury on Sunday 9 May. They were joined by some 300 owners of various Subaru Imprezas and more than 1,000 fans of the brand.

Considered by many as one of the most sought after limited edition Imprezas, the P1 was developed as a joint venture between Subaru UK, the Japanese firm's STI division and Prodrive, which was responsible for the automaker's WRC cars.

Based on the Japanese market Impreza Coupe, the P1 had significant enhancements engineered by Prodrive to the suspension, drivetrain, trim and aerodynamics.

It was powered by a modified version of the Impreza Turbo's boxer engine producing 280 horsepower and 363Nm of peak torque, compared to 218HP and 290Nm of the standard version

It came with Subaru's all-wheel drive system featuring a centre differential with viscous coupling while it also shared the Turbo's limited-slip rear differential.

British designer, Peter Stevens who was responsible for the McLaren F1 and Subaru WRC car developed a special front spoiler extension together with a new design of rear spoiler following extensive wind tunnel tests to reduce lift and improve balance.

The two-door car was unveiled by England's only World Rally Champion, the late Richard Burns, at the UK motorshow in 1999, and went on sale in 2000. At launch, Subaru and Prodrive planned a 500 car production run, but due to high demand a total of 1,000 examples were produced, all in the same unique blue color.

Prodrive Launches New Subaru Impreza Group N Rally Car

Longtime Subaru specialist, Prodrive, has unveiled the Impreza N2010 rally car that complies with the Group N regulations. The five-door hathcback comes with a bevy of mechanical and chassis upgrades including a larger 33mm air restrictor, high flow fuel injectors and recalibrated ECU that help increase the 2.0-liter boxer engine's output by 20 horsepower and strengthened suspension that employs revised Ohlins dampers with extra travel front and rear.

"The engine and suspension changes make the N2010 far more competitive," said Graham Prew, Prodrive sales manager.

"On gravel the Impreza is certainly a match for any Super 2000, but it is on tarmac, that the additional engine performance will really come into its own and make the N2010 a competitive alternative to a Super 2000, but at about half the price and with significantly lower running costs," Prew concluded.

Pricing for the Impreza N2010 starts at £120,000 or about US$196,000 / €136,500 at today's exchange rates.

For the first time Prodrive also offers buyers an alternative financing option to lease the Impreza for a period of two years with the option to buy the rally-prepped car at the end of the agreement.

N2010 specification

Engine:

Flat 4-cylinder boxer:

Capacity: 1994 cc

Bore: 92.0 mm

Stroke: 75.0 mm

Turbo charger:

IHI twin scroll with new design regulation 33 mm restrictor with new roller bearing.

Electrical:

Spark plugs: BRISK

Lightweight battery: Odyssey

Controllers and displays:

Engine: Prodrive-Pectel programmable with removable data storage card.

Centre diff: Prodrive-Pectel programmable fully CAN compliant with selectable diff maps.

Driver's screen: GEMS CD25 5.5" colour VGA screen with multiple pages including engine, transmission and steering information. Increased integration of control systems and co-driver's screen.

Exhaust

Hi-flow motorsport catalyst with silencer options available in stainless or titanium.

Fuel system

FIA approved FT3-99 95 litre safety tank centrally mounted under floor.

Transmission

Gearbox: Prodrive-Hewland five-speed manual dog engagement with revised gear linkage and 2-stage shift light.

Front diff: Plated limited slip

Centre diff: Electro mechanical locking

Rear diff: Plated limited slip

Clutch

STI, 240 mm six paddle competition, single plate homologated STI cover.

Roll cage

Prodrive manufactured rollcage to FIA compliant MSA homologated.

Suspension

Revised Öhlins dampers with improved travel, strengthened rear cross-member high performance uprated suspension bushes.

Front: Prodrive-Öhlins TPX 44 MacPherson strut, three-way adjustable with front hydraulic bump stop.

Rear: Prodrive-Öhlins TTX 44 coil-over damper, three-way adjustable on multi-link rear suspension.

Steering

Power assisted quickrack (13:1) for left and right hand drive.

PAS cooler (optional)

Wheels: Speedline or Work

Tarmac: 18" x 8" or 17" x 8"

Gravel: 15" x 7"

Snow: 16" x 5.5"

Brakes: AP Racing

Tarmac: front: four-piston 355 mm rear: two-piston 285 mm

Gravel: front: four-piston 295 mm rear: two-piston 285 mm

Handbrake: WRC style vertical lever using STI/AP homologated piston.

Dimensions

Front track: 1,550 mm

Rear track: 1,540 mm

Length: 4,415 mm

Weight: 1,350 kg

Prodrive enters Impreza WRC2008 in Scooby Sprint Championship

UK Subaru-enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Japanese firm's former rally-car partner, Prodrive, will participate in the 2009 Scooby Sprint Championship with a Prodrive Impreza WRC2008 World Rally Car. The Scooby Sprint is a one-make series for Subarus in the UK that allows private road car owners to compete against the clock as well as with some of the fastest and most modified Subaru cars around.

To get an idea, according to the organizers, the WRC2008 Impreza will not be the most powerful car to run in the Scooby Sprint as there are entries running more than 800-horsepower! Prodrive will enter the five-round competition as a 2009 Constructor Team.

Steve Smith, Prodrive car sales manager, said: "We are fully aware that there are some very highly tuned Imprezas out there and we know every one of them will be aiming to beat us. But let's be clear, we are not coming along for the ride."

Aston Martin's Kuwaiti Owner Acquires 40% of Prodrive

Kuwaiti investment firm, The Investment Dar Company (TID) has acquired a 40% stake in Prodrive, a UK-based engineering company with branches in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The move comes to no surprise as in 2007, Prodrive founder and chairman David Richards led a consortium which saw TID get hold of Aston Martin from FoMoCo and Richards become chairman of the company. As part of the agreement between the two firms, David Richards will remain the majority shareholder in Prodrive and Mahmoud Samy from TID will join the board of the company.

"We have followed Prodrive's success through the Subaru and Aston Martin motorsport programs and seen the commitment and dedication of all the employees in every aspect of the business," said Mahmoud Samy. "Prodrive has a great heritage and David has a clear vision for growing the business. We look forward to working closely with David and his management team to realize their goals," he added.

David Richards said: "Through Aston Martin, I have worked closely with TID for the last two years. As a result TID has also gained a great insight into Prodrive's expertise and our culture. They very much share our vision for the business and the passion for what we do. With their experience and understanding of the motor industry, they will play a significant role in the long term development of the business."

New Subaru Impreza WRX-S with 255 PS

Subaru is broadening its Impreza WRX offerings with the introduction of the Prodrive developed “S” model at the British Motor Show. Thanks to the re-programmed ECU (electronic control unit) and the modified exhaust system, the 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine’s output is raised from 230 PS at 5,200 rpm to 255 PS at 5,400 rpm while the torque improvement is even greater, growing from 236 lb.ft at 2,800 rpm to 287.6 at 3,000 rpm. According to Subaru, while the WRX-S’ top speed remains at 130 mph (209 km/h), 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time drops from 6.1 to 5.5 sec. -Continued

Engine-aside, the new Impreza WRX-S also features 18-inch anthracite GT1 alloy wheels with 225/40 tires, an STI front grille, STI front lip spoiler and STI rear wing and body-colour tailgate moulding. Furthermore, the WRX-S gets a MOMO ‘Air-Race’ gearknob while the colour choice is between San Remo Red, WR Blue Mica, Obsidian Black Pearl and Satin White Pearl. In the U.K., the new Impreza WRX-S is priced from £22,495 OTR offering £4,500 worth of extras over the WRX for a £2,500 premium.

Prodrive To Tweak 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

UK rally specialist Prodrive is readying a performance package for the all-new 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (see Euro spec model here) that will include power and chassis upgrades. According to a report from Brit magazine Autocar, the 2008 STi’s 296 Hp 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine (lightly modified version of the previous STi’s engine) will likely get a boost of 100 Hp offering supercar-level performance. Along with the engine upgrade Prodrive will also enhance the 2008 STi’s brake and suspension components.

Via: Autocar