Description
Subaru Technica International. These three letters added to the back of the Impreza WRX made a huge difference known by petrolheads and, especially, by those who loved rallies.
Noriyuki Koseki raced in the World Rally Championship with Subaru vehicles, and it noticed that there was room for improvement. That's why he started the STI. It aimed to get better results for the Japanese carmaker. Soon, he started to work closely with the carmaker and tuned the racing vehicles. In 2000, Subaru asked STI to built a street version for the already known Subaru Impreza WRX. And that's what it did.
While the engineers burned the midnight oil, Subaru's designers seemed to be off-duty, and the car's design was one of the most unsuccessful ones in the brand's history. Its big, round headlights attracted the nickname "bugeye." Instead of round fog-lights in the bumper, the carmaker installed two lids with the STI red lettering on them. In the back, the engineers installed a ridiculously big wing on the trunk lid.
Inside, the race-inspired bucket seats were tight and offered great side support during hard cornering. And the Impreza was mastering that. Due to the slim front seats, there was enough room in the back for three adults. Although not too many people bought the STI for the comfort of the rear seats. The instrument cluster was simple and featured only the regular dials for the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, and temp-level. The center dial, which was for the rev-counter, displayed the STI red letters.
Under the hood, the engineers installed a 2.0-liter flat-four engine. It was helped by a turbocharged to offer 265 hp. It was paired to a 6-speed manual and sent the power to all four wheels via a unique Subaru tuned system.
