The automaker calls the time-attack monster, a collab with Vermont SportsCar, its quickest, fastest WRX race car yet
- Meet “Project Midnight,” a race-prepped WRX with added aero and subtracted weight
- It’s a collab between Subaru Motorsports USA and Vermont SportsCar, with 670 hp on tap
- The time-attack monster, Subaru’s quickest WRX race car yet, will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
This is lashed to an all-wheel-drive system, because Subaru. A hood-exit exhaust is guaranteed to spit flames in crowd-pleasing fashion, marking another feature of Project Midnight which will never be floorplanned by a polyester-clad sales manager.
Gearheads may recall the “Airslayer” machine, a Gymkhana creation from 2020 also built with VSC, which used its active rear wing as part of a package which permitted it to jump 230 feet. While that effort was said to be designed to break a myriad records including the Mount Washington hill climb, Project Midnight has the singular focus of smashing tarmac speed records.
To this end, the build team fitted carbon-fiber body features and a significantly lightened chassis, helping the car with its SlimFast diet and reducing weight to just 2,469 pounds (1,120 kg). That’s about a thousand less than a stock WRX. Hove underneath is suspension geometry fettled for pavement; and 18-inch OZ Racing magnesium wheels wrapped in Yokohama slicks.
Subaru has tapped professional wheelman Scott Speed to drive this thing up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month. “Subaru Motorsports USA and the team at Vermont SportsCar have delivered an absolute beast,” said Speed. “When driving the car, it clearly has rallycross roots, but the wider tires, track, and geometry give it a very unique feel and incredible grip.”
This feat will surely not be the last time we see Project Midnight on track, if the brand’s plan comes to full fruition. Exploding Galaxy spox say it will also face yet-to-be-named challenges — given the car’s mission statement of pavement focus, expect all of them to be some form of macadam madness.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.