
Subaru STI has always had a reputation as a tuner's dream car thanks to a number of its "natural" characteristics, such as small turbo engines, AWD and superb handling. Litchfield are a prominent Subaru specialist and they now introduce the world - via Autosport show - to Litchfield Subaru Impreza STI Type-20, a hatch as potent as a previous generation BMW M5. At a fraction of the weight and price.
Litchfield owner Iain Litchfield and team began working on the car early this year. It's based on the rally-based STI but is actually something of a road-going pocket bullet. Using the Subaru 2.0-litre boxer rocker, Litchfield has squeezed a tremendous 400PS/ 298kW from it, in conjunction with a massive 508Nm of torque, 414Nm of which is available at 3,000rpm. For a turbo this STI Type-20 is quite the screamer, achieving its maximum potency at a woozy 7,500rpm. Zero to 60mph is a matter of 3.9 seconds, top speed reached at 165mph.
Of noteworthy importance are the high performance 245/40/18 Dunlop SP600 tyres, not for their size but for their name, for these are the same tyres used by Nissan during GT-R's famed Nurburgring record run. Other kit items include a revised STI front grille, revised chassis bushes, revalved power steering system for increased feel and weight and Litchfield front strut brace. The package costs £36,995 OTR.
[source:worldcarfans.com]




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