WRX STI TRAX: A Subaru that’s not scared of snow

Snow, slush, mud... nothing is going to stop this Subaru from going where it wants. The 400bhp engine and all-track system make sure of that!

Subaru’s new high-performance car comes with a twist – it doesn’t have any wheels. Instead, this special version of the WRX STI, which is on display at the ongoing 2009 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas in the US, is fitted with a snow tracks system.

Starting with a rally-prepared 2009-spec WRX STI, Subaru Rally Team USA's technical partner, Vermont SportsCar, has built this one-off 400-horsepower TRAX STI. The car’s interiors have been stripped and lightened, and a roll cage and Recaro sports seats have been bolted on.

Under the hood, the Subaru 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled ‘Boxer’ engine has been given a MOTEC M800 ECU, and is mated to a five-speed close-ratio gearbox. The all-wheel-drive (or should that be ‘all track’?) system has a programmable, driver controlled centre differential for extreme, all-out driving in the snow.