Subaru GD WRX STi Empattement Court (Wabi~Sabi)
Based on a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, despite an humble budget, this very special project was Recce RallySport’s first massive undertaking. Expressing in a true way the mantra of “wabi~sabi” (which means that nothing needs be perfect to achieve one’s vision and that through flaws or change can also be seen beauty or improvement – for an explanatory video CLICK HERE).
You will find here a quick rundown of this vast project that used to include hundred of pages of details and build pictures originally posted on the forum IWSTI in 2012. To say that it then took the Subaru world by storm would be an understatement!
In June of 2003, the car was delivered brand new and was the first Canadian STi in the area. Not long after, the project started life as a simple WRC tribute car (phase 1) with a bunch of usual bolt-ons.
Then, from 2008 to 2012, it underwent a complete transformation into a short wheelbased 2-door “what if the GD had a 22B version?” tribute build (phase 2). 6.1 inches were removed from the middle section (similarly to the Audi Sport quattro) among various other body modifications.
From 2012 to 2014, after battling through some engine related issues, the car started to undergo various other modifications such as moving the radiator to the rear of the car, a new fully custom low-mount turbo setup, and performing further weight reductions, slowly metamorphosing it into a dedicated race car (phase 3).
In late 2014, the love for the Golden Era of rallying came back in a tidal wave of emotion and nostalgia, it now needed a trip backwards in time, hence turning the project to vast experimentation to transform the car into a Group B tribute (phase 4). The best online source of information on Group B, the RallyGroupBShrine.org website, was created in the same time-frame. Many articles have since been published in auto magazines of renown; Motor Sport, Octane, and more! Plus doing real ground work to further aid in preserving Group B history.
Back to the Wabi~Sabi project, inspiration was taken from multiple Group B cars to implement as many features into the quite different and more modern Subaru Impreza bodywork. As such, the rear trunk section was shaved off 8.1 inches to help achieve a more diminutive size typical of the smaller purpose-built Group B cars such as the Peugeot 205 T16. The rear bumper was deleted and replaced with large mudflaps to evoke the down-to-business look of the Lancia Rallye 037 and Delta S4. The rear spoiler was subsequently raised in a similar fashion to the Citroën BX 4TC.
In 2015, in the spirit of the “evolution” of the latter Group B cars, the project underwent more modifications pertaining to adding maximum downforce. As such, the nose of the car was reduced by 4.1 inches similarly to the Mitsubishi Starion 4WD. This brought the overall length of the car 18.3 inches shorter than a regular Impreza body, which would officially put the car into the “supermini / sub-compact / B-segment” class.
Inspired by one of the most iconic aero package of the Group B era, features similar to the Pikes Peak version of the Audi Sport quattro S1 were implemented. That meant creating a front spoiler setup and enlarging the rear spoiler to match. The result was an astounding blend of old and modern styling which gives Group B a tribute in the most earnest way.
Preliminary winter testing of the project wielded very positive results. Besides it not being a powerhouse at the time, the car turned out to be exceedingly fast and easy to drive – being about 2 seconds per kilometre faster than a much better equipped and motorised Open-4WD class Subaru STi rally car of the same generation.
Still, even though the estimated time taken to get this far was 1500+ hours, the project needed to be pushed further into insanity by replacing the monocoque chassis with a custom-built spaceframe. By doing so, it would have turned the car into a silhouette racer quite similarly to the purpose-built Group B rally legends. It went as far as creating a rough rear clamshell out of the bodywork but then the inspiration for this car simply fell apart, realising the true need to start fresh with genuine 1980’s steel – the 53B RS-Turbo “Gruppe B” project. Thus, the ultimate version of Wabi~Sabi therefore shall forever only exist on paper:
Below are some specs and at the bottom are the original “Build Story” videos. You can also check out many winter tests and other early projects videos on our YouTube Channel.
SPECIFICATIONS (phase 4B)
| Group/Class | Experiment / Tribute Build | Prototype |
| Project Years | Phase 1 (2003~2007) Phase 2 (2008~2012) Phase 3 (2013~2014) Phase 4 (2015) Phase 5 (aborted) | |
| Engine | ||
| Type | EJ257, H-4, DOHC 16v, gas | front-longitudinal |
| Displacement | 2457 cc | |
| Compression ratio | 8.2:1 | |
| Output Power – Torque | 335 HP @ 5,200 rpm | 362 lb-ft @ 3,800 rpm |
| Materials | block: aluminium | cylinder head: aluminium |
| Aspiration & Injection | Turbocharger (low front mounted) Air/Air Intercooler EFI | boost: 17 psi |
| Ignition | electronic | firing order 1 – 3 – 2 – 4 |
| Lubrication system | wet sump with 1 oil cooler | |
| Cooling system | water-cooled, rear mounted | |
| Transmission | ||
| Type | four-wheel drive (AWD) | 6-speed manual gearbox |
| Gearbox ratios | 1st: 3.636 2nd: 2.375 3rd: 1.761 4th: 1.346 5th: 0.971 6th: 0.756 R:3.545 | Longitudinal, Shortened Driveshaft |
| Differential ratios | 3.90 | Dual Limited-Slip w/ Standalone Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) |
| Clutch | Dry Single Plate / 600 lb-ft capacity |
| Chassis-body | ||
| Type | GD Impreza chassis shortened 6.1″ middle, 8.1″ rear, 4.1″ front, (18.3″ total), with roll-cage, custom widebody aluminum and fiberglass panels, polycarbonate side windows, roof vane and cooling ducts, large WRC S9-type fiberglass rear spoiler (extended), louvered fiberglass hood/bonnet (shortened), front aluminum bumper and large spoiler, fully flat underside skidplate system. | |
| Front suspension | Independent, Macpherson 16-way adjustable struts, Coil Springs, optional adjustable sway bar. | |
| Rear suspension | Independent, Dual Lateral Links, Trailing Arms, Coil Springs, 16-way adjustable struts, optional adjustable sway bar. | |
| Steering system | rack and pinion, hydraulic power assistance with cooler | 12.0:1 (2 turns lock to lock) |
| Brakes | Front: Brembo 4 piston calipers with 326 mm slotted & vented rotors (tarmac) Subaru 4 piston calipers with 294 mm slotted & vented rotors (gravel/snow) Rear: Brembo 2 piston calipers with 316 mm slotted & vented rotors (tarmac) Subaru 2 piston calipers with 290 mm STi gravel vented rotors (gravel/snow) | Optional vacuum assistance, adjustable F/R ratio, hydraulic vertical handbrake |
| Dimensions | ||
| body length: 153.0 inches / 3885 mm full length (with aero package): 162.5 inches / 4125 mm | width: 73.0 inches / 1855 mm | height: 56.7 inches / 1440 mm |
| wheelbase: 93.9 inches / 2385 mm | front track: 62.0 inches / 1575 mm | rear track: 61.8 inches / 1570 mm |
| Rims – Tires | Tarmac: DDR3 wheels18×9″ / F: ET+28 R: ET+15 Gravel/Snow: WRC Subaru spec gravel wheels 15×7″ / ET+5 | Tarmac: 255/35ZR18 UHP BFG Gravel/Snow: 195/65R15 snow tires |
| Dry/Unladen Weight | 1215 kg / 2,680 lb | Bias: F52.9 / R47.1 % |
| Weight/power | 3.6 kg/HP (8.0 lb/HP) | |
| Fuel tank | 60 litres | |
| Drag coefficient | – |
BUILD VIDEOS
A fun pause…
Back to work!
Thanks for watching!
Recce RallySport 