Subaru's new GH-based WRC2008 rally car has made it's debut at the Acropolis Rally of Greece, with many within the automaker's motorsports arm pinning their hopes of a return to Subaru's WRC heyday on the all-new contender.
While the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) dominated the WRC series in the days of Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz, lately they haven't had much luck in rallying. Surprisingly, the SWRT hasn't won a WRC rally since 2005, a fact that many have put down to the age gap between the outgoing GD-based Impreza rally cars and the more sophisticated machinery from the European manufacturers.
However, the new WRC2008 represents a new hope for the team, with works driver Petter Solberg having deliberately pushed for a number of new design features to be incorporated into the GH chassis to help increase the competitiveness of the Impreza in rallying. A longer wheelbase and shorter overhangs are key features of the GH design, while the driveline remains Subaru's rally-proven EJ20 boxer four with symmetrical all wheel drive.
The engine is the same as that used in the outgoing WRC2007 car at the start of the season, and - thanks to a 34mm air restrictor - pushes out the maximum allowable 300bhp. Torque, on the other hand, is a monstrous 650Nm, which is amazing grunt from a two-litre engine. The gearbox is worlds away from the standard STI's unit, being an electro-hydraulically actuated paddle-shifted 6-speed. The centre differential is also electro-hydraulic, while the torque split is normally set at 50:50 front/rear.
Bos fully adjustable shock absorbers absorb those harsh landings, however the SWRT have elected to ditch the GH's multi-link independent rear suspension in favour of the same Macpherson-strut arrangement as the WRC2007 car. Braking is now handled by a quartet of AP Racing disks calipers, with 6-pistons clamping each corner.
Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson will each campaign the Subaru WRC2008 through the rest of this year's season, and each of them have proven themselves to be extremely talented drivers. Let's see if their cars will be able to keep up. Video of the WRC2008 at Greece below.
[Source: Subaru] [Images courtesy of Subaru, video courtesy of Carscoop] zum Original
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