From Autoblog

Somehow, we doubt this is what Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had in mind when he set out to design a horizontally-opposed four cylinder engine powering the rear wheels of his so-called “People’s Car.” No matter, we’re happy to see the good ol’ Beetle is still getting its due after all these years, in this case courtesy of a worked-over turbocharged 2.5-liter engine making over 350 horsepower yanked from a Subaru WRX STI.

As you might imagine, this little bugger of a powerplant has no problem moving its rounded Volkswagen wrapper at warp speed. While some may bemoan the lack of the donor car’s all-wheel drive powertrain, the Beetle’s rear-mounted engine placement and super short gearing equals loads of traction, making for an excellent drag racing platform.

Fortunately, the rest of the package has been appropriately beefed up and customized to handle the Beetle’s newfound power. Modifications include a narrowed and dropped front beam, four-wheel disc brakes, a heavy-duty clutch, wide rear rubber and a touchscreen digital dash enabling on-the-fly tuning adjustments.

From Edmunds

For all intents and purposes, the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C should not exist. The fact that we are even writing about the Spec C — a limited-edition, significantly tweaked evolution of the Impreza WRX STI — is a miracle.

Plans for the Spec C were nearly scrubbed late last year when Subaru ended its 20-year involvement in the World Rally Championship after the recent, massive decline in worldwide sales caused the bosses to radically rethink the company’s motorsports program. In an emotional press conference just before Christmas, company president Ikuo Mori fought back tears as he told a stunned gathering of media, “Our decision was in response to the economic downturn. We had no choice.”

When decisions like this are made, it’s normally the limited-edition models like the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C that get axed first. But not this time. Subaru wants to send a message to the market and its thousands of concerned fans. It’s telling us that the company might have had to tighten its belt, but it has not forgotten who it is.

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From IIHS

The 2010 Subaru Legacy and Subaru Outback are the Institute’s newest Top Safety Pick award winners. To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute’s front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with electronic stability control. Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as top crash test ratings and the rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on the Legacy and Outback.

“Recognizing vehicles at the head of the class for safety helps consumers distinguish the best overall choices without having to sort through multiple test results,” says Institute president Adrian Lund.

New Institute ratings for the Subaru Legacy | Subaru Outback

From crash.net

Dave Weston Junior impressed his peers with a superb drive on his Ulster International Rally debut last weekend, the penultimate round in the 2009 MSA British Rally Championship.

Putting in times that were worthy of a driver with much more experience of the notorious asphalt roads in Northern Ireland, the 18-year-old spent part of the event running third overall in the BRC points.

“I was surprised with running third myself,” Weston Jr admitted. “I think doing the Stonethrowers and Ravens Rock rallies in Ireland earlier this year really helped me with the Ulster roads. It was a fantastic feeling to find myself in a podium position on my first time doing the event, I just wish we could have kept it that way.”

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From MotorTrend.com

First Drive: Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C

In a rare move to suppress this proud point, Subaru’s tuning arm, STI, decided that badges only lead to an unwanted “ranking system” among owners and potential buyers who see the Spec C as the king of the pile and tend to look down on the stock STI and STI A-line five-speed automatic. The only way to distinguish the Spec C from its two brothers is by checking out the wheel arches. The Spec C, which looks almost identical to the stock STI, is the only variant that gets gold-colored four-piston Brembo calipers and Potenza RE-070 tires.

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