We’ve already told you about former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins’ record lap on the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Course driving a US specification 2011 Subaru WRX STI in a previous article here, but today, we stumbled upon two in-car video clips, courtesy of Road & Track magazine. Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...". Commenting on the incident, Dominick Infante, National Manager, Product Communications, Subaru of America, said: “The WRX STI performed incredibly well at near flat out speeds and Mark drove impeccably. His save at Bray Hill at 150 MPH was some of the best driving any of us have ever seen." Buckle up and watch the two in-car-videos after the break.
We don’t know about you, but we certainly enjoyed watching the video of a male passenger freaking out during a ride around a drift course, so we decided to do a little bit of online research to find out what it was all about. We discovered that the joy ride was part of the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2011 event and it took place in Lebanon.The man behind the steering wheel of the Subaru Impreza WRX STI is 34-year-old Abdo Feghali from Lebanon. He is a professional rally driver who also participates in drift contests and events such as the one organized by Red Bull. If you liked the first video we showed you, then follow the jump to watch the reactions of the same male passenger, this time sitting at the back between two women (oddly enough no one was wearing seat belts…), as well as some new footage of other people that took a ride including the beautiful lady you see pictured above.
First unveiled in the 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney last October, the Subaru Forester S-Edition has now gone on sale in Australia, alongside the revised lineup of the Japanese compact SUV. Boasting a turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer engine delivering 259HP (193kW) and 347 Nm (256 lb-ft) of torque, the new range-topping model is the most powerful Forester ever to be sold down-under.
“We have had increasing customer interest in a more powerful Forester and are delighted to be the first export market for S-Edition, which made its worldwide debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney last October”, said Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia. “It combines the best of two winning Subaru formulas – WRX and Forester, the latter of which is firmly entrenched as Australia’s favorite compact SUV.”
The flat-four is coupled to a 5-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, which sends power to all wheels through Subaru’s Variable Torque Distribution all-wheel drive system. To improve handling, engineers fitted the S-Edition with sport suspension and 17-inch Subaru Tecnica International (STi) alloys, wrapped around in 225/55 R17 Yokohama rubber.
With plenty of torque available from down low – and constant between 2,800-4,800 rpm –, the Forester S-Edition sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 228 km/h (142 mph).
Wringing this car's neck will surely result in some scary consumption figures, but, according to the official fuel economy estimates, a laidback driving style can result in the burning of just 10.5 lt/100 km (22.4 US mpg) in a combined cycle, which is downright acceptable.
Compared to its more mundane siblings, the S-Edition also comes with a black grille, various chrome accents, silver roof rails and, for a limited period, World Rally Blue color option.
Inside, sport seats clad in a combination of alcantara and leather, S-Edition seat embroidery complemented by blue stitching, sporty instrument display and special gear shifter set this model apart.
The Forester S-Edition’s base price is AUD $50,990 (about US $51,301 at today’s exchange rates).
As previously reported, the revised Forester lineup benefits from the new naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine, capable of 170HP (127kW) and 235 Nm (174 lb-ft) of torque.
All new models feature a redesigned front grille, while inside the dashboard has a darker finish with matching metallic accents. The standard equipment list now includes seats clad in a more water resistant cloth trim, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, while XS models and above receive reversing cameras as standard.
*Note: The Subaru Forester S-Edition study is featured in the photos below
Aside from smashing the late Tony Pond’s long-standing record in a Rover 827 Vitesse from 1990 by more than two minutes, Higgins also displayed some amazing driving skills saving the day when the WRX STI started swerving at 150mph (241km/h) after he hit a small bump on the road. In the video you can hear Higgins saying "Biggest moment of my life there...".
