Australian rally champion Molly Taylor is back at the Black Rock Motor Resort track, this time in a banshee flat-six swapped Impreza RS that offers an unforgettable soundtrack and a potentially highly affordable path into competition.
What started life as a Subaru RS Challenge series car, has undergone a substantial transformation at the hands of Woolgoolga Service Centre owner and racer Sam Hill, with a high-revving naturally aspirated H6 now sending power to all four wheels.
It’s the first known vehicle of its kind in the country with an offical log book and rally certification and Taylor put it through it paces for its first shakedown and dirt test.
With Subaru’s EZ30 3.0-litre boxer six-cylinder now under the bonnet, the one-off machine produces about the same power and torque as an equivalent Subaru turbo flat four production rally car (PRC with regulation restrictor), but what almost no gravel Impreza has been able to do before is produce a sound like this.
Taylor took the opportunity while the Black Rock racing circuit is under construction near Newcastle to do a lap ahead of the asphalt going down next year, resulting in this unique event in a unique car.
Revving to more than 7000 rpm and coupled to the wheels via a short-ratio STI six-speed manual and R160 differential, the RS-H6 report echoes through the native gum forest with a note unlike anything else.
Engine management is taken care of by an Australian EMtron KV8 ECU with a mix of 15 percent ethanol/85 percent pump gas in the tank.
The GD chassis Subaru Impreza is no stranger to Australian forest trails with the RS Challenge one-make series providing a cost effective but competitive entry point into rallying for many budding drivers spanning more than two decades.
Vehicles were equipped with Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system but engines were limited to the natural aspiration of the production model, offering lots of traction but capping power for inexperienced drivers.
The RS-H6 takes that tried and tested combination but adds a little pepper for the driver and audience alike. The best part? By using mostly readily available Subaru donor components, Hill reckons the conversion can be done for as little as $4000.
While there’s only one car quite like it in the country for now, we’re certain once Australia’s rally community see how the pioneer RS-H6 goes and sounds, it won’t be unique for very long.
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