The annual Gymkhana show was put on hold following the untimely demise of its legendary host Ken Block in January 2023. It is finally making a comeback this December, hosted by Travis Pastrana from the Hoonigan team and filmed in Australia for a change.
At the SEMA show in Las Vegas, the famous stunt driver officially confirmed that the 11th installment of the show was already being worked on before its planned release on the Hoonigan YouTube channel next month. At the same time, he introduced the audience to the new Gymkhana ride – a 1978 Subaru Brat coupe redesigned from the ground up and bumped to 10 times the original power and torque.
It now goes by the name “Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo”, where the number stands for the actual redline of its 1.6-liter turbo flat-four. Built by Vermont SportsCar, the extreme racing mill slams the wheels with 680 PS (670 hp / 500 kW) and a mountain-moving 921 Nm (680 lb-ft) of torque, something that’ll surely come in handy for the numerous stunts planned.
If you’ve been wondering whether you’ve seen that crazy exterior before, that’s probably because it was penned by famous 3D artist Khyzyl Saleem, also known as The Kyza. He was the one who came up with the body graphics simultaneously inspired by Australia’s blazing sunsets and the color scheme used by the Subaru brand half a century ago.
Much of the aero is active, for example, the louvers in the front fenders can open or close to stabilize the car while airborne. The interior remains largely hidden from view, but we’re told it was trimmed with carbon fiber and a lightweight flax composite finished to resemble wood grain. The climate control system was ditched alongside with most heavy equipment, but its control panel was repurposed for active aero management. With no air conditioner on board, Pastrana might get sweaty performing his crazy stunts, but he says the repaired radio will keep him in the right mood.
