The Subaru Impreza is a legend – you can’t deny that even if you are from team Mitsubishi. Through the years, it has been available in several different performance versions, each one of which has had a special place in the hearts of gearheads. However, it has never been a car that can compete against supercars. Until now.
Driven Media, a YouTube channel with about 335,000 subscribers, has been modifying a Subaru Impreza wagon for the last six months in an attempt to make it fast enough so that it can beat a supercar. The budget of the project was limited to £15,000 (about $18,300 at the current exchange rates) and in this new video from just a few days ago, the team finally puts the Subaru in a direct race against a Lamborghini Murcielago.
This isn’t just a simple drag race, though. The two cars do laps around a short track and, obviously, the faster one gets the win. The conditions aren’t ideal – some sections of the track are wet and the outside temperature isn’t particularly high, but this is something to be expected in the United Kingdom in December. After all, the conditions are equal for both cars.
Before the race begins, the team shines more light on the modifications that have been done to the Subaru. There’s now an upgraded clutch, a coilover kit, semi-slick tires, upgraded brakes, and a retuned engine. The mill underhood now develops a little more than 300 horsepower (221 kilowatts) versus 196 hp (144 kW) in stock form. Probably because of its new yellow exterior color, the car has been named Bananaru.
The Lamborghini is the first to tackle the track. We have to say the supercar doesn’t look as nimble as expected from the footage but it is certainly very quick even on a wet surface. Plus, it sounds absolutely epic. The Murcielago’s time is 1:24.13 minutes and previously it did better at 1:16.7 in better conditions.
It’s time for the Subaru to lap the track. The driver says the car now feels so much quicker and nimbler than before. It even has more grip than the Lambo. In the end, the modified Subaru manages to beat the Murcielago with a time of 1:21.36. And the team didn’t even spend the entire budget. Good job, guys!
